


draw me like a magnet (to the sea)

by spacebeyonce



Category: The Legend of Zelda & Related Fandoms, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Practical Magic Fusion, F/M, Grief/Mourning, Haunting, Minor Character Death, Murder, Possession, Rating May Change, Spells & Enchantments, Witches, generational curses, true love spells
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-11
Updated: 2020-10-24
Packaged: 2021-03-07 20:35:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 40,324
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26943772
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/spacebeyonce/pseuds/spacebeyonce
Summary: the hyrule women are cursed. everyone in lanayru bay knows that - if a man dares to love a hyrule woman, they're doomed to an early death.
Relationships: Impa & Zelda (Legend of Zelda), Kass's Teacher | Sheikah Poet/Zelda (Legend of Zelda), Link/Zelda (Legend of Zelda), Purah & Zelda (Legend of Zelda), Zelda & Tetra
Comments: 16
Kudos: 78





	1. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> halloween project is a go, what's up everyone! 
> 
> I was going to post this as one gigantic oneshot but honestly...that stressed me out. reading big oneshots is always fun but writing it? oof. so posting it in pieces it is.
> 
> alright so...yeah! a practical magic au. watched the movie for the first time last week and it was cute and fun! and then over 8k later, here we are, and we're gonna do our best.
> 
> title is a riff of the song crystal by stevie nicks, obviously from the practical magic soundtrack to stay on theme.

Zelda constantly asked to hear the story of her ancestor as a child, even though her aunts have told her the tale more times than she could count.

She knew how it would end, every time - but despite that she would tug Tetra along with her and flashed her big green eyes at her aunts until they caved, and their aunts would take her and her sister to sit in the garden. She didn’t know why the story fascinated her so, but she never tired of hearing about her –

The first Zelda.

The Zelda _she_ was named after. The first of the line of Hyrule women.

And the one who started the curse.

Her Aunt Purah would always sigh and hum, but the story always started the same – a story about a woman from Lanayru Bay, ostracized by her people.

“Your ancestor, Zelda, was a witch.” Aunt Impa said, “the beginning of a very long line of Hyrule women. She was very powerful in the gift; some stories say she was closest to the Goddess – others say she was even the Goddess reincarnate.”

“And rumors like _that_ are why the Hyrule women have been blamed for everything in Lanayru Bay for centuries.” Purah said dryly, and Zelda always frowned at that.

“Is that why the people in town hate us so much?” Tetra asked, brows furrowed over her dark eyes, and Purah wrapped an arm around her and pulled her into her side.

“No, no.” She reassured, “Tet, they don’t hate us at all! We just…make them nervous, really.”

“Even you? But you’re Sheikah!!”

Impa smiled and tilted her head, a lock of pale, silvery blonde hair spilling over her shoulder. “Distantly related to Hyrule is still related enough for them, I suppose.”

“So Auntie Zelda was a goddess?” Zelda asked, wanting to get back on track with the story, and Impa hummed. “Maybe she was, maybe she wasn’t – we’re not sure. But what we do know is that she was a witch – and the people feared her for it.”

“And the fact that she was a firecracker when mad didn’t help that matter much.” Purah piped in, “and eventually the townsfolk tried to hang her – but the Goddess protected her, and Zelda’s magic saved her life.”

Purah waved a hand past the garden of their home, to the rocks and sea that stretched beyond them. “She was banished from the town, to this very island, - her and the child in her belly. And your ancestor, she waited for her lover to come for her…but he never came. No one ever came.”

That part always made Zelda so sad – probably because of the different possibilities in this part of the story, too. Zelda’s lover could have left her. Or maybe he tried to find her. Maybe he searched for her and tried to reach her – but was killed by the townspeople for trying. No one in the family really knows. There’s no record of it anywhere; like it had been wiped from existence.

“She despaired,” Impa continued softly, “and in one low moment, she cast a spell upon herself – a spell that would prevent her from ever again knowing the pain of love.”

“And then it became a curse?”

“Yes, sweet – the bitterness that grew in her warped the spell. And now it is a curse – a curse on any man that would dare to try and love a Hyrule woman.”

Tetra’s eyes suddenly filled with sorrow. “Is that why it happened? Why papa died?”

Just the reminder sent a stab of loss through Zelda’s young heart, and she buried her face in Impa’s lap, sniffling only a little when she ran her fingers through her hair.

“Yes. Your mother knew, as well – she heard the ticks of the harbinger beetle and knew – she knew something would happen to your father. Once you hear the beetle, the man you love is doomed.”

Zelda was never afraid of love, before – she had seen her parents love each other so openly, so happily, that there was never any reason for her to fear. No reason to be wary. But then papa died, and it was so quick, so sudden – he was with them one day, laughing as he picked her and Tetra up and swung them around, kissing their cheeks, and then…he wasn’t.

And it was only a few months later when their mama followed after him, leaving them alone – a broken heart, her aunts would say.

“Aw, Zelly, Tet, come on,” Purah urged, trying to lift their spirits, “it brought you to us, didn’t it? Nothing can replace your parents, but it’s okay – we’ll raise you up as best as we know how. With cake for breakfast, and no bedtimes!”

“ _Purah_.” Impa said in disapproval over the girls’ giggles. “Goddess knows how _you’re_ the older one.”

Purah stuck her tongue out at her sister, wrinkles creasing at the corners of her eyes as she smiled, ushering the sisters to their feet. “Alright little witches, let’s go back inside and practice some spells! That’ll cheer you up quick!”

The melancholy was quickly forgotten, and Tetra cheered loudly, Zelda quickly at her older sister’s heels as they sprinted towards the porch, their aunts contentedly following behind them, ancestors and curses quickly forgotten.

Growing up in Lanayru Bay wasn’t _bad_ ; she had Tetra with her, always, and her aunts. She learned new ways to use her magic alongside her sister every day and figuring out new spells and potions was always fun. Even though the townspeople looked at them funny, and the children ran by the house to throw rocks and taunt them…Zelda was still surrounded by love. Curse or no, loving and being loved couldn’t possibly be as terrifying as she feared.

That opinion quickly changed in one night.

Zelda still remembers it, vividly – she had been twelve, at the time, and Tetra was fourteen. They were sitting at the table, practicing their magic. She and her sister decided to dress up as angels just because, wearing white dresses and fluffy angel wings, and they munched on chocolate dipped strawberries that Purah made for them.

Lips stained red from berries, Zelda blew lightly at the candle before her, and beamed when it slowly lit up, a flame dancing on the wick.

“Good job, Zelly!” Purah cheered, tying up a bundle of dried herbs, “you’re so good at this! Just like your mom.”

Tetra pouted slightly, perched on the table like a little bird. “What about me?”

“Sweetheart, you’re just as talented as your little sister – we’ve just got to find where your strengths are,” Impa said, busy winding strings together on a loom.

“Oh, I already know - you’re gonna be a potions master just like grouchy old Impa, over there.”

“Don’t push your luck, Purah, or you can forget having dinner tonight.”

“What?! You see how your auntie treats me, girls? Grouchy, grouchy…”

The room was so warm and filled with laughter – Zelda felt like she was glowing, she was so happy then. But the bright atmosphere was broken by a frantic knocking at the door, and both Impa and Purah’s faces grew serious.

“Girls,” Impa said as Purah sighed, pushing herself to her feet, “you stay right here, alright? Just stay here and keep working on your spells. Stay here.”

The women rushed out of the room, and Zelda looked up at her sister, who was still perched on the table and just as wide eyed.

“I wonder what happened?” Zelda whispered, and Tetra shrugged. “I don’t know…”

A mischievous light shined in her eye, “but we should definitely sneak, and go see.”

Zelda gaped at her, “but Auntie Impa said -!”

“Yeah, I know, but I can’t do any potions practice when she’s not around to supervise! And what if it’s something interesting?? Let’s go look!”

Tetra hopped off the table, her steps light as a cat, and left the kitchen behind, hot on their aunts’ trail, and Zelda could do nothing but sigh and anxiously follow. Tetra was always so much braver than she was, anyway.

As they neared the stairs that led downstairs, Zelda heard a woman’s voice.

“I want him so much,” the woman wailed, her voice shaking, “I can’t think about anything else! I can’t _sleep!_ He has to leave his wife – he has to leave her _now._ ”

Pressing a finger to her lips, Tetra led the way down the stairs, taking care to avoid the spots that creaked. Zelda clutched at her dress, and they crouched in the shadows, watching Purah cross her arms as she looked down at the Hylian woman sitting at the table – disheveled and teary, her curly red hair in disarray. On the table was the Hyrule family spell book, the large pages open to a page Zelda was too distant to decipher.

“Is there no way for you to let this go?” Impa asked lightly, approaching the table. In her hands, a dove kicked its tiny feet, futilely trying to flap its trapped wings. “You could always find another.”

The woman looked incredulous through her tears. “I don’t _want_ anyone else! He’s all I can think about – why else would I be here? Please. _Please._ ”

Impa sighed quietly and set her jaw. “Take the rupees, Purah.”

The woman quickly threw the money on the table, and Purah scooped it up as she pulled at something that was tucked between the pages of the book – a pin, long and sharp, with a clear stone on top. Zelda’s heart skipped a little as she watched her aunt give the woman the pin, and Impa held out the dove, still struggling in her firm grip.

Her breaths were rapid as she took the pin, and the woman’s eyes darted between her aunts and the dove. “I want him to want me so much that he can’t _stand it_ ,” the woman declared urgently, and Zelda gasped and shoved her face into her sister’s lap as she shoved the pin into the bird’s heart.

When she looked up, Impa’s eyes were on their hiding place in the shadows – just for a moment – and then she was gone as she swept the bird away. Purah took the pin away from the woman and held it up to the light, wet and shiny with blood.

“Be careful what you wish for,” she murmured, but the woman paid her aunt no mind, pulling out a picture she had tucked away in her breast and staring at it with wild longing.

Zelda was shaken; is this what love can bring people to do?

For her, love was always a comfort, and a support – her family was all she had to keep Zelda grounded. But love could also push someone to the brink. It can make you bend someone’s will.

It can make you die of a broken heart.

“I don’t want to fall in love,” she whispered into her sister’s skirts. “I hope I never, ever fall in love.”

Tetra combed her fingers through her hair to comfort her, but when Zelda peeked up at her, she saw the excited light in her eyes and the slight smile curving her lips that told Zelda her sister was thinking the exact opposite.

A few nights later, Zelda made a decision.

She took the time to properly craft the spell, carefully thinking on her words and writing them down in her journal before sneaking into the greenhouse late at night, a large bowl tucked against her side. That is how Tetra found her – surrounded by white flowers bathed in moonlight, carefully plucking flower petals into a bowl.

“He will hear my call from miles away…he can tame horses better than farmhands _-_ ”

“What are you doing?”

Zelda looked back at her sister standing in the doorway with one of the cats curled up in her arms as she placed the rose petals into her bowl, moving on to the next flower – a bustle of sweet williams. “I’m creating a true love spell – _Amitas Veritas._ He’ll be…right-handed. _And_ left-handed.”

She moved around the greenhouse with purpose, Tetra curiously at her heels.

The petals of a yucca flower. “He carries a shield to protect others.” A sprig of gladiolus went into the bowl. “He will be kind – and always do what is right.”

A daffodil – “he will always return to me, no matter how impossible.” – a ranunculus, and lastly…the glowing petals of a silent princess. Zelda heard Tetra gasp as she added the flower to her bowl; her sister must have realized how serious this was, if she was going to use a silent princess. “His hair will be the color of wheat, ready for harvest,” she whispered to the bowl, “and his eyes as blue as the skies on an impossibly perfect day.”

“Zelda,” Tetra finally said, slowly, “I thought you never wanted to fall in love.”

She couldn’t help but laugh as she turned to her sister, bathed in moonlight as the smile she gave her never reached her eyes. “That’s the point,” she said lightly, “this man that I’ve dreamed up – he doesn’t exist. He’ll never exist. And since he doesn’t exist, I’ll never die of a broken heart like mama.”

Her sister looked so sad, at those words – but it was for the best; if she protects her heart now, then she will never have to worry about the curse that hangs over her head. She’s thought up a true love so impossible that there’s no way he could ever exist – and so she would never love herself to ruins.

The moon was full and bright as she stepped from the greenhouse onto the patio, and Zelda allowed herself to close her eyes for a moment to bask in that glow, feeling something within her resonate at the light. She opened her eyes and exhaled slowly, looking down at the flowers she gathered – the pieces of her impossible love.

 _Go,_ she willed them. _Go, and find him._

One by one, as though caught by a breeze, the flowers were lifted from her bowl and carried up, up, higher and higher into the sky, twirling around each other until they were obscured by the light of the moon.

Zelda stared after the petals until she couldn’t see them anymore.

There. It was done.

She felt Tetra silently slip her hand into hers, and even though the flowers were gone, they stayed outside for just a little longer, staring up at the moon.

-o-

The years passed slowly.

Nothing changed in Lanayru Bay as Zelda grew – the children that were mean to her and her sister were now teenagers, and just as wretched. Adults scrambled to avoid her family whenever they were out on a walk, or going to the store, or picking up mail. Her aunts were still fun and strict and loving, always loving, and her sister was her constant, always by her side.

Until one day, she wasn’t.

“Zel – Zel, get the door! The door!”

Zelda snapped out of her daze, pulling her eyes away from the moon and opening the doors to her balcony as a giggling Tetra rushed by, a bulging bag thrown over her shoulder. With a grunt of effort, her sister threw the bag over the ledge, down to the Hylian man that waited down below for her – tall, with brown hair and green eyes, and an utterly besotted look on his face.

Her sister sported a matching grin as she hung over the balcony, and she sighed, just as smitten.

“Really, Tet?”

“ _Really._ ” Tetra confirmed, “Goddess, Zel, you have _no idea._ ”

But Zelda wasn’t really convinced, crossing her arms across her chest. “Are you _sure_ , though? Do you – do you love him enough to marry him? Or –”

“Zelda – _enough?_ What? Of course I – I just –”

Her sister huffed out a sigh, tossing her pale blonde hair out of her face as she swung her legs over the balcony, standing on the outcropping of roof below. “I _hate_ it here, Zelda,” she admitted, full of feeling. “I have to go – I _need_ to go. Somewhere where people won’t look at me and be scared of me. Somewhere where no one knows who we are.”

She understood the desire; there have been many days where Zelda wished she could just – pack up her things and leave. Go far, far away from this little town on Lanayru Bay, to a place where people would look at her and see _Zelda_. Just Zelda. Not a cursed woman from the Hyrule line.

Even so –

“I just…” Zelda felt choked up, and she tried to clear her throat. “I just feel like – like I won’t see you again.”

It was a ridiculous fear, but it didn’t make it any less true. For years, she always had her sister – it was always Zelda and Tetra Bosphoramus-Hyrule. It was easier to handle the words and scrutiny with Tetra by her side – how would she be able to do it now, as alone as she’ll be?

But they were adults, now – even though Zelda was only twenty. It’s normal to want to leave the town you grew up in behind, isn’t it?

“Oh, Zel.” Tetra’s brown eyes softened, “don’t worry. This isn’t going to be forever – of course we’ll see each other again! You think I’m gonna leave my baby sister behind?”

Zelda laughed lightly, blinking the tears out of her eyes. “Really?”

“Really, really! You’ll see – we’ll take Auntie Zelda’s house, if the aunts let us, and we’re gonna own a bunch of pets –”

“But we already have Farosh, and Naydra, and Dinraal –”

“So we just get more! We can’t let the kitties be lonely. And we’ll have all these pets and grow old together. We’ll even die on the same day!”

“You think so?”

“I know so.” Tetra said confidently. “A pair of spinsters with a garden and a bunch of pets – you’ll see. Hold on – babe! Can you toss up your pocketknife?”

She smoothly caught the little knife, and the blade shined in the moonlight. “Alright – hand, please.”

“Tet, you know that the hand isn’t a good spot for things like thi – ow!”

She flinched at the sharp pain as her sister sliced open a line on her hand, quickly doing the same to her palm. “My blood,” she said confidently, grabbing Zelda’s bloody hand, “your blood –”

Their fingers intertwined, and Zelda could feel the hum of magic in the air.

“Our blood.” They said in unison, and her vision blurred as a fresh film of tears came to her eyes.

“There,” Tetra said thickly, “now it’s official. It’s a promise, okay? We’ll always have each other, no matter how far apart we are.”

Her lips trembled, and Zelda pulled her sister in for a hug, trying her best not to get blood on her as she clung to her blouse. “I love you, Tetra,” she whispered, and she heard a sniffle by her ear.

“I love you too, Zelda.”

She pulled back from the embrace, eyes red from her tears, but the smile she gave Zelda was the same as ever – crooked, daring, and so, so bright.

Tetra was always the braver one. So much more adventurous.

And then she was gone, laughing wildly as she landed on the ground and hopped onto the back of the man that waited for her, the two of them running through the garden and out into the night.

Zelda only gave herself a moment to cry once her sister was out of sight, bowing her head and swiping at her cheeks, futilely wiping away her tears. And she sighed and looked back up at the moon, feeling lonelier than ever.

She went back inside, eventually. Cleaned up the wound on her hand and went to bed.

And time went on.

Two years passed by, and with Tetra gone, Zelda felt lonelier than ever before. It stung a little more when people crossed the streets or turned away as they walked by, wide eyed. Zelda can scowl well enough, but she was never able to accomplish the glares Tetra could give. That just made her miss her sister more.

It made her feel so _resentful_ at times, over how the townsfolk hated her family so. Some days she was just bitter at the whole world – from the people in Lanayru Bay, to her aunts, to her mother, and the cursed woman that started it all. Sometimes, Zelda felt like she resented the Goddess herself, for giving her family these powers in the first place.

Every day she wished more and more that she was able to have a more normal life; that she was a normal girl with no powers at all, and she could walk through the town and greet her neighbors with a smile and not be given fear in return. She barely used her magic anymore – only for little, mundane things; every time she tried to do more, that resentment would fill her up and twist her guts into knots.

She could understand sometimes, how bitterness can morph into curses.

But even from far away, it seemed that Tetra was still determined to pick her spirits up.

“Aunt Purah,” Zelda sighed, arm in arm with the Sheikah woman as they left the post office. “Why can’t we have a mailbox installed at the house?”

“Because the mailman is too scared to come by and drop off our stuff,” her aunt said brightly, giving a Hylian couple a wave and a smile – and watching with mild amusement as they sharply looked away and quickened their pace, wide eyed.

“Lurelin!” Impa cried out in front of them, holding up a postcard. “Goddess above, she’s in Lurelin. Zelda, here, sweet – she had a little gift for you, as well.”

She passed back a small package, and Zelda’s heart warmed at the sight of it. It was probably another one of the trinkets Tetra grabbed for her, something new to add to her collection on her bookshelf.

Even so far away, Tetra could always pull her out of her melancholy moods – and it always happened when it needed to. It was like she knew, somehow.

“Oh, is she over the farmer from Necluda already?” Purah asked, and Impa scoffed.

“Apparently!”

“Really?” Zelda blinked rapidly, “but I thought she liked him! She’s really hopping through these guys, isn’t she?”

“Hah, one day she’s gonna meet a guy that’ll hop through her and she won’t know what to do with herself!” Purah cackled, throwing a smile at a Hylian child that was watching them pass by with wide eyes. “Hey there!”

The child’s parent appeared out of nowhere, yanking them away and hissing to not look at them, and Impa rolled her eyes.

“Please, Purah, when are you going to give it a rest?”

“Give it a rest? As if! They’ve got to warm up to us eventually!!”

Zelda sighed softly, her eyes drifting to her feet. “I really miss her,” she murmured sadly, and her aunts’ bickering quieted down.

“Oh, Zelda.” Purah squeezed her arm, sympathetic. “It’s going to be okay!”

“I just –” she frowned, “- it wouldn’t be like this for us if we were just – normal. Tetra wouldn’t have run off if we were living a normal life.”

Impa frowned as she led them across the street, ignoring the crowd milling in the streets parting at their approach. “Zelda,” she said slowly, “sometimes wanting normal isn’t the best thing in the world. Being normal isn’t a virtue.”

“To me,” Purah cuts in, “it just means there’s a lack of courage. For not staying true to yourself.”

Zelda scowled, crossing her arms over her chest and digging her fingers into the sleeves of her sweater. “I don’t care,” she bit out, “when it’s all I want.”

Purah hummed in disbelief, and whatever sharp words Zelda was about to gather on her tongue vanished at the flash of silver at the edge of her vision.

Her pulse kicked up as she peeked over her shoulder, watching a Sheikah man with long, silver hair carefully wheel boxes of fruit over to a stand. And then her pulse sped up even _more_ when she noticed that he was looking at her, too, giving her a warm smile when she noticed.

Shion.

He was the local fruit merchant at Lanayru Bay, selling goods from his family’s orchard. Zelda could say with confidence that they were friends; she’d known him since high school, and he was always so kind to her, and even as a scrawny teen she thought he was handsome. And his handsomeness has only increased, throughout the years. Shion had always made her feel like she was just a normal girl, when she talked to him, when he made her laugh; she felt like he looked at her and saw _her_.

Zelda knew she officially had a hopeless crush on him when he wrote her a poem about her eyes in their junior year, and it hasn’t gotten any better since.

But it was a hopeless crush for a reason; Shion would never want to be with her, no matter how kind he was to her. Who wants to risk falling for a Hyrule woman, anyway?

That wasn’t going to stop her from _looking_ , though.

She craned her neck to keep her eyes on him as she got further and further away, not even noticing that Purah had let go of her arm, and she squeaked a little when her cheek collided with something. Zelda whipped around to stare at the sign she had run into, and she could feel her aunts’ amused stares on her as a furious blush spread to the tips of her pointed ears.

She ducked her head and scurried off, not noticing that her aunts hadn’t moved, Purah’s mouth stretching into a wide grin while Impa raised an eyebrow at Shion, the man ducking his head for a moment before giving them a wave and a shy smile.

“Fascinating,” Impa murmured.

-o-

Zelda felt like her aunts were _up_ to something.

She wasn’t sure what, but there was a sense of _plotting_ in the air.

Zelda wouldn’t pay it too much mind, though; she had more important things that she needed to work on, anyway – like gardening.

It was a warm, early summer day when Zelda went into the garden, dressed in a t-shirt and jean shorts that she didn’t mind getting dirty. She’d been meaning to weed the cool safflina for the last couple of days, and she needed to harvest some for a cooling poultice she wanted to make for the coming summer days. She could see her aunts in the corner of her eye, sitting in the shadier part of the garden with glasses of lemonade and occasionally shooting her a glance.

What was _up_ with them? Are they plotting something for her birthday? They better not, she didn’t ask for anything – but why else would they be staring at her?

No matter- she had weeds to pick up, and safflina to gather.

The sun crept across the sky as the morning passed by, Zelda thinking aloud to herself as she tossed her weeds into a pile. “Maybe I can add a little aloe to it as well, for sunburn…oh, and should I dry some for lemonade, when it gets hotter? And I can’t forget to plant the armoranth seeds, and –”

She distantly heard the clock chime in town, letting her know that it was noon, and suddenly Zelda felt…something.

She slowly sat up, brow furrowed as she looked out in the direction of town. Zelda couldn’t explain it, but she just felt…certain, about something.

Yes, she decided, rising to her feet and brushing the dirt off her hands, it was time. Time for what, she didn’t know, but something in her was urging her – _go on,_ it said. _Go. It’s time._

Maybe it was the Goddess.

But either way, Zelda was walking, and then jogging out of the garden and away from the house, missing the way her aunts smiled at each other at her departure.

 _Go, go, go,_ that feeling pushed her, _go to him, it’s time, go._

And maybe it was. What was she so scared about before, anyway? She couldn’t remember.

So Zelda ran, hair streaming behind her like a golden banner as she sprinted to the market –

Right to Shion.

And maybe he had been waiting for her, too, because he was standing in the middle of the road like she’d called for him. His hair was messily braided down his back, and that stupidly handsome smile was on his face as she got closer and closer.

She barely paid any attention to the eyes of the townsfolk she knew were on her – Zelda only had eyes for Shion. It only made sense to jump right into his arms, and her heart sang as he caught her easily. “Hello,” she whispered, breathless from running and the feel of his arms around her, and Shion smiled, his eyes glittering like a jewel as the sun hit them just so.

“Hi, Zelda.” He murmured, his voice so low and soft – it made her feel like they were the only two people in the world, just then. And since her courage was still holding strong, Zelda laughed a little and took a leap, pulling his face down to hers in a kiss.

And then –

Amazingly, miraculously – he was kissing her back.

That urge, that _push_ , vanished in her gut as soon as their lips met, and Zelda threw a faint prayer of thanks to the Goddess, because that could be the only reason that this happened – the only reason she found some courage to go for what she wanted.

Maybe her crush wasn’t so hopeless, after all.

The years passed with so much bliss, Zelda didn’t know what to do with herself. By the time she was twenty-four, she and Shion were married, and she had moved out of her aunts’ home, into a little house of their own – much closer to town. No longer on the outskirts. She cast off her Hyrule name with glee, feeling like she was leaving the curse behind as well, and Zelda never looked back.

Soon, they welcomed a daughter – Adelaide, with her pale blonde hair and eyes just like her father’s, and two years later, little Talia joined them, with hair as gold as hers and eyes that reminded her of her father.

A loving, wonderful husband. Two beautiful, happy girls. Zelda never dreamed that she would be blessed enough for a life like this – to have the chance to love someone so much.

It was like all the years of torment had been washed away; now, every time she walks through the town with Shion and their girls, she’s greeted with a wave, or a smile. She’d finally gotten the one thing she’s wanted, all these years – she was finally just a normal woman, with a normal life.

Of course, she told Tetra about every moment. They always call and text each other, of course, but…there was always a comfort in letters.

_Dear, Tet,_ she writes to her –

_Today is our third anniversary, and all I have to show for it are two amazing, beautiful girls, and a man I can’t stop kissing. Shion cut all his beautiful hair, but even though I was cross for a moment…it turns out I don’t mind it, that much._

_I wish you could see us. There’s no more stones being thrown, no more taunts, no more ridicule – everything has been so blissfully normal. Life is so perfect – though it would be more perfect if you were here, but you already knew that!_

And as always, Tetra wrote her back.

_Dear Zel,_

_I’m in the Gerudo area, now. You can’t believe how many cities are in this desert! But anyway, right now…I’m lying in the sun, right next to a pool. I’ve made so many friends, traveling around. People that don’t know who I am, or where I’m from – Zel, life is honestly perfect._

_I’ve even met someone! I know, I know – I can feel you rolling your eyes as you read this. But I feel good about this one. His name is Groose – not the most ridiculous name I’ve heard, but it’s still up there – and we’ve just been having fun together, mostly. He’s tall, and strong, and he makes me laugh…maybe this will be it._

_I miss you too, Zel, and I promise I’ll come by to visit soon. But until then, keep an eye out for a little something I’ve sent in the mail!_

She couldn’t agree more with her sister; life really had turned out so unbelievably perfect – Zelda couldn’t ask for more.

-o-

Talia had just turned six, when Zelda heard the trills of the harbinger beetle.

Shion was fast asleep, and their youngest had snuck into bed with them; she didn’t know what time it was, when she heard the noise start up – she only knew that it was late. At first she thought it was a cicada, or a restless cricket that snuck into the house, but the sound – it wasn’t right.

But whatever it was, it was loud, and persistent, and so _annoying_ that Zelda turned onto her side with a groan, grabbing her pillow and pressing it to her ear so she could try and get to sleep.

The cries of the bug persisted all night and followed Zelda into her dreams.

By the time she realized what the noise was, Shion was gone, and the only thing that remained in the bed with her was a growing feeling of dread.

It was a cool, cloudy day outside, covering the world in a dismal grey film, and the only sound that filled the house was the trilling of that beetle.

And Zelda was _frantic_.

“Where is it??” She whispered to herself, pressing her ear against the wooden floorboards. “Where – I _hear_ it, where could it be??”

 _It can’t be,_ she thought frantically, _this can’t be it, it can’t, it can’t –_

The beetle started up with its chirping again, and it sounded close – right under her hands. “Don’t,” she hissed, snatching up the screwdriver she picked up and shoving the end between the slats, “don’t you dare – _don’t_ do this.”

She ripped up the floorboards, one after the other, scrambling to find this beetle and – and _stop_ it, _somehow_ , because she can’t lose Shion.

Because that’s what this is, isn’t it? That Goddess damned _curse_ , coming to collect from her. But she won’t let it. She refuses to let it.

“I hear you,” Zelda said shakily, pulling up another slat of wood. “I hear you, and I know you’re there, and you _won’t_ – I won’t –”

The beetle’s cries grew louder, faster, almost in time with the panicked beat of Zelda’s heart. It sounded like it was so close, but no matter how much she dug, how many floorboards she pulled up, it continued to slip out of her grasp.

 _Please,_ she prayed, _please don’t do this to me, please don’t take him, please –_

The trills of the harbinger beetle grew even louder – and the tempo was so rapid Zelda thought she was going to lose her mind. It felt like a countdown, like her time was running out, like –

 _“Please!!”_ she cried out, just as the cries of the beetle fell silent.

The quiet air that now hovered in the house felt unnatural – but Zelda hoped that maybe her prayers were answered. Maybe, for once, the Goddess intervened.

Maybe –

And then she heard it – the distant sound of screams.

Zelda felt the bottom of her world drop out and crash around her feet.

-o-

Zelda found out what happened to Shion later – that he was delivering a shipment of fruit and was trying to cross the street when a truck rounded the corner.

It was going too fast. It couldn’t stop in time.

That night, she left her two sobbing girls with Shion’s heartbroken mother and ran to her aunts’ house.

She couldn’t breathe, feeling the grief wrap around her ankles and pull her down, down, down – but she burst into her aunts’ home anyway, staring up at the winding stairs that led further into the house.

“Was it the curse??” She screamed, loud enough that her aunts could hear her, no matter where they were in the house. “Did – did this happen because of me??”

Her tears burned as they filled her eyes, blinding her, “is this my fault?? Did Shion die because I loved him too much??”

“Oh, Zelly…”

She whirled around to face Purah, who was standing in the kitchen, a hand pressed to her heart as she looked – horribly, terribly _guilty._

“I’m so _sorry,_ ” she said, mournful. “We had no idea that when we – when we cast the spell –”

_A spell?_

Zelda heard Impa approach behind her, coming down the stairs, and she shook her head, moving further into the kitchen. “Spell?” She asked, incredulous, “what are you talking about? What did you – oh.”

She remembered that day, years ago – that sudden urge to _go_ , to run to Shion and risk it, just for a chance of happiness. That _push_.

Zelda remembered, and she felt sick.

“You _didn’t_ ,” she whimpered, betrayed. “You – please tell me you didn’t! You, the only family I have left -!”

“It was just a push,” Impa said, and she sounded just as upset as Purah. “You wanted to have that life so much – to be happy. We wanted to encourage you, however we could.”

“We never expected that you’d truly love him –”

Zelda couldn’t bear to hear another moment of this. How – how did they expect her to not love Shion? To care for him with all her heart? Of course she did! Of course she loved him! It felt like he was the only man that loved her, curse or no, and now because of her he – Shion was –

“Of course I loved him!” Zelda yelled, her voice thick with tears. “And I _want him back!_ I want you to bring him back!!”

Frantic, she raced around the kitchen, snapping up the Hyrule spell book and slamming it on the table before her, rifling through the pages.

“I have never asked either of you for _anything!_ ” She said, furious, “I have never asked for any spells – but I want you to do this! You can bring him back –”

“No, Zelda.”

Purah’s ever smiling face was deadly serious. “No,” she said again, “we won’t do that.”

“We do _not_ do that,” Impa said sternly, stepping into the kitchen to stand next to her sister, but Zelda wildly shook her head.

“You _can_ do this,” she stressed, still flipping back and forth through the pages, trying to find the spell. “I _know_ you can. I remember, I – I found it, here, after mama and papa died –”

Impa shook her head. “Even if we did bring Shion back,” she said firmly, “it wouldn’t be _him._ It would be something else! Something dark, and unnatural, and –”

“ _I don’t care!!_ ” Zelda screamed, “I don’t care what he comes back as!! As long as he’s here!! As long as he _comes back!!_ ”

Boiling hot tears poured down her face, and she looked between her aunts, pleading. She wanted Shion back so much she couldn’t stand it. She didn’t want to go the rest of her days without waking up to a song or a little poem written for her on the nightstand. She didn’t want to go without Shion’s warmth, or his smiles, or the way he always listened to her when she talked about the soaps and poultices she made, about her dreams for the future. Zelda didn’t want her girls to grow up without a father like she did, to be pushed aside and mistreated like she was.

She wanted her _husband_ , the man who looked at her and saw _her_ , who encouraged her dreams and always, always made her smile.

And he was gone.

He was _gone._

Zelda’s knees gave out, and she slowly sank to the floor, weeping. “ _Please,_ ” she sobbed, one last futile effort to her aunts. “Please do this for me. Please?? Please?? Please, please –”

She dissolved into wails, curling into herself under the hovering presence of her aunts, and felt her heart break into pieces.

-o-

After Shion’s funeral, Zelda sells the house.

She packs up Adelaide and Talia’s things, puts their belongings into storage, and moves back into her aunts’ house.

There was the oddest sense of déjà vu, as Zelda watched her girls walk up the path, dressed in black and pulling their suitcases along with them. They looked so much like her and Tetra when they arrived here, all those years ago.

“This is only going to be a temporary thing,” Zelda reminded them as she watched Impa and Purah descend the stairs to greet them. “So don’t get to comfortable, alright? And there _are_ going to be rules – you will not have chocolate for breakfast. Homework will be done on time after dinner, and you will brush your teeth before bed.”

Her eyes were hard as she looked at her aunts, lips pressed into a thin line. “And as for you two – know this,” she said, low, “my daughters will never do magic. Ever. I’m done with it.”

Her aunts looked solemn, but the nodded in assent, stepping aside and reaching out to the girls as they entered the house.

After Shion’s death, it was like a spell had broken, and Zelda was back to being the odd woman in town. They avoided her, glanced sideways at her, and always whispered whenever she passed by with her daughters.

Another Hyrule woman, claiming another victim.

It was like the last few years had been a dream and being thrust back into this world left Zelda feeling like she’d been dunked in cold water.

Eventually, she just stopped leaving the house. Soon after that, she stopped getting out of bed, as well.

“Mommy?”

Zelda slowly opened her eyes at Adelaide’s voice, barely moving from the cocoon of blankets she was buried under.

“Mommy? It’s time for us to go to school! You know? It’s the same time as yesterday! And the day before that, and the day before that!”

Her footsteps hopped around the bed, but Zelda could only respond with the ghost of a sigh.

Adelaide was stubborn, though – she got that from her. “I’m worried about Talia,” she continued, a mischievous lilt in her voice as she leaned on the bed, “did you know that she thinks she’s a mermaid? I caught her a couple days ago – she had brought in water from the ocean and put it in one of the tubs outside in the garden and sat in it! Naked and everything!”

Zelda huffed out a laugh, but didn’t move, still prone under the blankets. She just felt so weighed down, her head filled with cotton – it was just better to stay in bed. It was better to sleep. At least when she was asleep, she could see Shion again.

As the silence hung in the hair, she could feel Adelaide deflate, giving up. “…Okay,” she said, her voice small. “I guess – I’ll see you after school, okay?”

She got two steps away from the bed before a burst of energy made Zelda sit up and pull the blankets away from her head, grabbing the back of Adelaide’s jacket and yanking her into the bed with her.

“Come here!” Zelda laughed, and Adelaide giggled as she squeezed her tight, throwing the blankets back over their heads. Her daughter’s pale blonde hair tickled her nose, and she smelled like lavender soap as she buried her face in her hair.

“I’m sorry, sweetheart.” She sighed, giving her a squeeze, “I’m just…very tired.”

She felt Adelaide place her hand atop hers, and the gesture was so sweet it made Zelda want to cry. “It’s okay, mommy,” she said quietly. “It’s okay.”

Zelda forced herself to get up and find the energy to at least see her daughter off for school before dragging herself back upstairs to her room, throwing herself back into her bed and falling asleep.

When she awoke, Zelda pulled the blankets away from her face and stared up at the ceiling, watching the dust motes swirl in the afternoon light that streamed in.

It was sudden, how lonely she felt; the feeling crashed over her like a wave, stole the breath from her chest and made her tear up. She was pathetic – she was a _mess._ But she was so, so lonely.

She wished Tetra were here with her. Her sister always had the right words to say, and now she wanted to see her more than anything. But she was so far…and she never wanted to come back to Lanayru Bay. It would never happen.

But she still hoped.

Holding up her hand, Zelda traced a finger down the scar on the meat of her palm. _It’s a promise, okay?_ Tetra’s voice echoed in her mind, _we’ll always have each other, no matter how far apart we are._

Closing her eyes, Zelda wished with all she had.

_Tetra…_

-o-

The days continued to pass slowly, thick and murky like molasses, and Zelda continued to stay in bed.

She barely ate. It was a feat to get up and wash her face, at the very least. She mostly spent her days sleeping.

Zelda knew she was worrying everyone – her aunts, her daughters. And she wanted to try to get up, but – it was just so _hard._

She could understand now, why her mother died of a broken heart. It feels easier every day, one step closer to just – giving in. Letting go.

Until one night, when she woke up to fingers tracing her forehead.

Zelda wrinkled her nose, turning her head into her pillow, but the tickling sensation stubbornly remained until she forced herself awake and stared groggily into Tetra’s dark eyes.

She looked different; they both got their coloring from their father, but Tetra’s skin was darker from her time in Gerudo, her hair bleached from the sun. She was wearing a jacket over a simple t-shirt and jeans, and she looked like she’d barely slept.

But still, when she noticed Zelda was awake, she gave her a smile, and that was still the same.

“Hi, Zel,” she whispered, and her eyes instantly filled with tears.

“…Hi,” Zelda whispered back, voice hoarse with disuse, and a tear slid down her cheek. “You know, I – I was really, really happy.”

Her face crumpled with the weight of her grief, and Zelda curled forward into her sister’s arms, letting her pull her close as she buried her face into her shoulder, weeping.

Once she pulled herself together, she leaned in her sister’s lap as Tetra rested against the headboard, telling her everything she missed.

“I told him about how I wanted to open an apothecary,” Zelda said, handing a picture over to Tetra. “And he said I should do it! He always liked all the soaps and things that I made, and the poultices...We we’re talking about finding a spot in town to turn into the shop before – before it happened.”

She looked up as Tetra’s eyes roamed over the picture – Zelda and Shion on their wedding day, dressed in formal Sheikah wedding attire, their faces glowing with happiness as they stared at each other.

“I know it all sounds kind of boring, compared to your adventures!” Zelda laughed, “but – but he really made me laugh. I was so happy. But enough about me! Tell me about you – are you still with that man you met in Gerudo? What was it – Groose?”

Tetra sighed at the mention of his name, rolling her eyes, but there was a smile on her face. “I guess it’s fine,” she hedged, “I don’t – I don’t think I want it to be anything serious, but he’s really fun to be with.”

Her hair tumbled over her shoulder as she tilted her head, looking down at her sister. “He always wants to fool around, _all the time._ ” She huffed, “I’m lucky enough if I get a full night of sleep. I have to use Auntie Impa’s belladonna, sometimes.”

That sounded concerning. “Tet, you have to drug him just to get some sleep?”

She shrugged, slightly uncomfortable. “He’s really…clingy.” The word didn’t fit right in Tetra’s mouth; Zelda wondered if that was the actual word she wanted to use. “It’s hard to get away, sometimes. And he’s strong – stronger than me.”

Tetra closed her eyes, just for a moment. "Maybe he'll be strong enough to outrun this curse."

That didn’t make Zelda feel any better, but Tetra quickly moved the conversation along to something else, and she had no choice but to let it go.

She talked with her sister throughout the night, and it was creeping closer to dawn as they laid in bed, blankets pulled over their heads. “Do you forgive her?” Tetra asked in a hushed whisper. “Mama?”

Zelda hummed a little, blinking slowly. “…Sometimes.” She finally said.

She can understand it now, how the pain of losing someone can take hold of you and drag you under, to the point that it feels easier to just let go. But that doesn’t make losing her any easier.

Tetra smiled, but her eyes were serious. “You are never going to forgive yourself,” she started slowly, “unless you get up out of this bed. And you wash up and get dressed, and brush your teeth – because honestly, Zelda, your breath smells worse than dodongo shit.”

Zelda gaped at her, outraged, and Tetra could only choke out a laugh as she reached out to swat at her arms. “What? It’s true!”

“I can’t _believe_ you _said that!!_ ”

Their roughhousing died down into quiet giggling, and Tetra sobered up with a sigh, grabbing onto Zelda’s hands. “You’ve gotta get better, Zel,” she whispered, “you’ve gotta get up, and take care of those two girls.”

“I know.” Zelda’s eyes filled up with tears at the thought of her daughters. She knows she’s letting them down, being like this – she knows that they’re scared. “You’re right. You’re right, Tet.”

“Aren’t I always?”

Zelda didn’t know when she dozed off, but she could feel Tetra’s eyes on her, roving over her face. It was quiet, but she could still hear it when Tetra mouthed the words:

_I love you, Zelda._

“I love you, too, Tetra,” she mumbled back, and she could feel Tetra’s smile as she fell into a deep sleep.

When she woke up, late into the morning, Tetra was gone, the only proof of her being there from the rumpled sheets and the smell of her perfume hanging in the air. Zelda stretched her arms and legs out as far as they could go, yawning widely, before rolling to her side and shoving her face into the pillow her sister laid on, inhaling deeply. There was still a faint trace of her shampoo, clinging to the pillows, and it made her smile. For the first time in a very long time, she felt…good. Present. Her head was clear, for once, instead of feeling like it was weighed down and stuffed with cotton.

_You’ve gotta get better, Zel._

Tetra was right – she couldn’t stay like this forever. She _wouldn’t_.

Swinging her legs over the edge of the bed, Zelda slowly rose to her feet. She took stock of herself – unwashed hair, rumpled clothes, stale sheets – and she sighed.

If Shion saw her like this, it would break his heart.

The road before her felt daunting, but Zelda made herself focus on the little things she could do right now. So she would bathe. She would wash her hair and scrub the layers of sadness that clung to her skin, and she’d brush her teeth, just like Tetra told her to. She would wash her sheets for the first time in weeks, and wash her clothes, and then…

And then, well.

And then she would start to think about dreams that she let grow stale in her grief, and attempt to move forward from there.

One step at a time. For her daughters – for _herself_.

Biting at her lip, Zelda nodded to herself and took slow, shaky steps towards the bathroom.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> and that's the beginning!
> 
> I'm hoping to have this go down in three acts and be done with it by halloween. fingers crossed I can keep this promise.
> 
> I hope y'all like this? I enjoyed figuring this out and plotting it, it's been really fun so far. and I just really wanted to do something for halloween haha.
> 
> let me know what you think! comments and kudos are appreciated! enjoy the rest of your weekend!


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hello again! happy friday!
> 
> thank you for the response that I've gotten so far from the first chapter - hopefully y'all like this one as well. I almost thought I wasn't going to be able to do another update so soon, but I pushed through! also! I did I little editing to the first chapter, changed up some years and added some little things, so if you wanna re-read that just to know then go ahead!
> 
> now - some ages, to help everyone out:  
> zelda is 32  
> tetra is 36  
> purah and impa are around late 50's, early 60's  
> adelaide is 8 and talia is 6
> 
> also! tw for intimate partner violence, attempted murder, and actual murder! if you've seen practical magic you know what's up.
> 
> anyway - enjoy!

It took Zelda six months to pull herself together and get back on her feet.

She slogged through the fall and winter, but she worked hard to spend more time with her family – to be _present._ The holidays passed by uneventfully, and Zelda knew her girls were disappointed somewhat, having entertained them with Halloween tales of how when she was a girl, her family would climb to the roof as a yearly tradition, jumping off the roof and floating lightly to the ground. But Zelda didn’t have it in her to do it this year, what with Tetra still gone and the ache of Shion’s loss persistently throbbing.

And she just wasn’t ready to have the town’s eyes on her like that.

She still went into town, though; Zelda knew that keeping herself cooped up in the house wasn’t doing well for her already tarnished reputation. So she held her head high, and walked her girls to school, and went to the store, and…and checked out the building Shion had thought would make a great apothecary.

It was easy to go back to ignoring the stares, the whispers, because of the way her daughters’ eyes lit up when they saw her in the morning, a skip returning to Adelaide’s steps and Talia gripping tightly at her hand.

Each day Zelda spent with them, the light returned to them, slowly – she still feels so terrible, for almost being the reason their bright spirits were completely dimmed out.

And when she wasn’t spending time with her daughters, Zelda was slowly working to forgive her aunts.

It was hard, in the beginning; before she locked herself away in her room, whenever Zelda would see Impa or Purah, she would feel a stab of betrayal so sharp it made her feel sick.

Finding out about the spell that pushed her to Shion had shaken her, and at her lowest moments, it made Zelda doubt the validity of the last eight years of her marriage. What she had with Shion, was it even built on anything truthful? Or was it all relying on the foundation of spell work? Zelda had felt unsure, and she had hated her aunts for placing that doubt in her.

She knew her aunts were remorseful, because they gave her space when they could, even during the times she couldn’t get out of bed. And after Tetra’s visit, she…finally let herself think on it. Pushed past the hurt and betrayal that always came and let herself think logically.

Zelda knew she had feelings for Shion long before her aunts decided to try anything – she just never had enough courage to _act_. She still resented her aunts for meddling, but they were honest in their admission; that day, all she really felt was a push to go to Shion and make her feelings known.

The last eight years, the life that they had built together…everything was real. All of it. There’s no way her aunts’ interference had any hand in what she felt and that began to loosen the knot of anger that sat heavily in her chest.

She started slow, at first; Zelda would sit with them at meal times, or seek one of them out when they were in the garden, or doing spell work in the kitchen or sitting room and just…be near them. She couldn’t talk to them for a while, not at first – she just never really knew what to say.

Until one winter evening, when she went to seek Impa out.

She found her aunt in the sitting room, working at her spindle as she slowly fed wool through, turning it into a thin strand of yarn. The room was a warm, golden yellow from the lamplight, and it was snowing outside, a small pile of white already gathered on the windowsill.

For a few minutes Zelda just hovered in the doorway, fiddling with the sleeve of her sweater as she watched Impa work, and eventually she gathered her courage to softly clear her throat and call out.

“Auntie Impa.”

Her eyes widened a little as they darted up, slightly startled by her appearance, but her aunt quickly smoothed her expression into something calm, inclining her head in greeting.

“Zelda. This is surprising – come on, sit somewhere.”

She gestured to one of the cushiony armchairs in the room, but Zelda decided to be a little brave, and moved across the room, taking a seat near Impa’s feet instead. That made Impa slow in her spooling, somewhat, but eventually she went back to the brisk pace she was working at before.

“I…” It felt odd, attempting to talk to her aunt after so much silence; the air had never felt this awkward between them, before. “I have a question.”

“…Alright. What’s your question?”

“You were married before. Right?”

The question made Impa stop in her spinning completely.

It had happened before Zelda was ever born, but she’s seen some of the framed pictures hanging on the walls around the house – a younger Impa, bright eyed and beaming, leaning against a Sheikah man. It was easy to connect the dots.

“…Yes,” Impa answered slowly, “I was.”

“Did he get taken by the curse, too?”

The wrinkles on Impa’s face creased with her smile, but there was no happiness in her expression. “He did.”

She folded her hands in her lap. “I heard the cries of the harbinger beetle, yes – but I didn’t lose my husband immediately. He got sick, and I had that beetle haunting the corners of my home for two very long years.”

Zelda’s expression dropped in horror; the pain of losing Shion in an instant was unbearable, but watching someone you love waste away for years, not knowing if the next day would be their last…she couldn’t imagine.

Impa sighed out a little laugh. “No, I wouldn’t wish it on anyone. Even now, after so many years, I miss him deeply.”

Her eyes narrowed slightly in curiosity. “What made you want to ask a question like that?”

“I guess…” She bit her lip, “I guess I’m trying to understand.”

Her aunt’s silence was expectant as she waited for further explanation. “I’m trying to understand why…if you – you’ve been through it. The curse. So why…?”

_Why would you put me through this? Why would you let this happen to me?_

Impa must have caught on to her silent questions because her face crumpled with sorrow, and she hesitantly reached out to cup her face, unsure if Zelda would try and push her away.

“I never wanted to put you through that pain,” she said slowly. “No one ever wants to see the people they love suffer.”

“But you did. It happened.”

“Yes. But I wished for your happiness – that was the entire reason Purah and I gave you that push.”

She looked away for a moment, contrite. “I am incredibly sorry, still. I do regret meddling in that way. I regret that you had to go through so much pain. But Zelda, I just wanted happiness for you, at the end of all things. I wanted more for you than this – cooped up, stuck with your old spinster aunts.”

Zelda still couldn’t entirely understand it, but hearing an apology – a true, direct apology – loosened the knot in her chest a little more.

“How could you stand it?” She whispered, “how did you go on?”

Impa hummed, brushing a thumb against her cheek before letting her go, turning back to her spinning. “It wasn’t easy. But losing a loved one never is. There were days where I felt close to giving up…but I had my son to think of.”

It had shocked Zelda as a child, when she found out Impa had a boy – Hyrule women rarely ever have boys.

“You make yourself keep moving,” Impa continued, her eyes serious, “you move on, and keep living, because you have to – because people were depending on you to. And eventually it gets easier; the pain still comes, but it doesn’t control me, as it used to.”

Her words weren’t something Zelda didn’t already know, but…it comforted her all the same, to hear them again.

She sighed softly, and then leaned in to gently rest her temple against her aunt’s knee, folding her arms over her knees. “It feels like I’ll never get to that place.” Zelda whispered shakily, “it feels like I’m meant to be sad forever.”

Impa didn’t pause in her spinning, but she did extend a hand to gently run it through her hair. “If anyone can beat this,” her aunt said quietly, “it will be you, my dear.”

Her opportunity to talk to Purah came a few weeks later, when she accompanied her aunt to the post office and a walk through town. As her aunt meandered through the stands in the open-air market, Zelda walked a little further away. It was instinctual, automatic – her feet just moved on their own until she was on the sidewalk, staring through the large windows into the empty storefront, lingering on the ‘for sale’ sign still stuck to the glass.

It was still there. Still empty.

Shion had pointed out the property to her, teasingly prodding that it could make a good place for a store, and Zelda hadn’t stopped thinking about it since.

She tucked her gloved hands into the pockets of her coat, nervously biting her lip as her eyes hesitantly traced over the number written at the bottom of the sign.

Could she still do it?

“Oh, is this the place?”

Zelda jumped a little at the sudden appearance of her aunt, a fresh bag of produce hanging off her arm. “…Yes.” She said slowly, turning back to the empty windows. “It is.”

Purah hummed a little, considering, and Zelda tried not to feel too awkward about this being the first real conversation she’s had with her aunt in months.

“It _would_ make a lovely store,” Purah finally said. “And in a good spot in town, too! Shion had a good eye.”

The lump that rose in her throat felt like it was choking her. “Yes,” Zelda choked out, “yes, he really did.”

Slowly, Purah looped an arm through hers, cautious, and reached up to squeeze her arm with her free hand, the bag of produce rustling between them. “I think you should do it, Zelly,” she said softly. “We can help, if you need it?”

“You would?”

“Of course! It -”

She watched her aunt’s face fall for a moment before she forced it to brighten back up into a smile. “It’s the least we could do. After…after everything.”

Zelda knew this was Purah apologizing in her own way, and her heart softened. “Thank you, Auntie Purah,” she said quietly, “but…I think I want to get this on my own.”

Her aunt smiled at her, understanding, and Zelda fished for her phone in her pocket, taking a picture of the number on the sign before she was pulled along towards the path home.

That evening, Zelda made the beginning of what would be many phone calls. After the new year, she focused on getting everything together for the store.

She would make every product that would go into the store herself – candles, shampoos, soaps, creams, lotions, and poultices. All of it. It cluttered up the house a bit, but it wasn’t too bad – especially since Zelda had two wonderful helpers.

“Alright, hold the wick, just like this – but don’t move, alright? This is very hot.”

Talia nodded, her face screwed up in concentration as she held the wick steady, pinched between two fingers, and Zelda held back a smile as she carefully poured in the lavender-scented wax. “Okay, Adelaide – add the lavender now, before it cools.”

“What are you doing all this for, mommy?” Her daughter asked as she gently pressed dried sprigs of lavender into the wax.

“Oh…I don’t know if you remember, but…your father encouraged me to open up a store, and sell you know…lotions and candles and things.”

Adelaide’s face brightened in recall. “Oh! I kind of remember – daddy always ate those oatmeal face masks you made.”

Zelda sputtered with laughter at the memory, and Talia giggled quietly along with her. “Oh, Goddess, he did, didn’t he? I would get so cross when he did, it was so ridiculous – I can’t believe I forgot that!”

She felt a little stab of melancholy at that; Zelda had been so stuck on the day she lost Shion, so trapped in that memory, she almost forgot all the moments from before. All of the silly times where they laughed together, and the sweet moments…she had nearly forgotten them all in her grief.

“Mommy,” Talia quietly called for her attention, “are you gonna spell the candles?”

“What?”

“You know –” she wiggles her little fingers in the air around her head. “Spell ‘em!”

“Ah.”

Zelda hesitated.

Since Shion’s death, Zelda has only used her magic for the barest of minimums; making something float to her or moving something heavy out of her way – but not casting. No casting, no wards…none of it.

“I…” She looked away from the hopeful light in Talia’s eyes, jerkily screwing a top onto the cooled candle and placing it in a box with the others. “I don’t do that anymore, Talia.”

“Why _not??_ ” Adelaide burst in, affronted. “We can do magic, can’t we? So why not?”

“I just don’t do that anymore.”

_Because it’s the reason your father isn’t here._

Her tone brokered no more nonsense. “And your aunts aren’t supposed to be teaching you _anything_ , so I better not catch either of you trying to figure out any of their tricks – understand?”

Talia pouted but didn’t say anything more, and Adelaide had set her jaw, a familiar stubborn light in her eye that told Zelda she wasn’t going to let this go. She sighed quietly through her nose, exasperated. “Come on,” she murmured, “it’s almost lunchtime – let’s go see what the aunts have made.”

On the days she wasn’t caught up in prepping items for the store, Zelda was hunting for people that were brave enough to work the shop with her. A couple months into the new year she got lucky, finding two women that were willing to work with her – Urbosa, an older Gerudo woman that lived in the next town over, a few minutes outside of Lanayru Bay, and Mipha, a woman just a year older than her and new to the area, having just moved away from the Zora domain.

It was _nice_ , having other women to be around – women that weren’t scared of her, or left sharp glares and whispers in her wake. Women that wanted to have lunch with her, when she was free, or walk with her in the mornings while she took her girls to school.

She hasn’t had many friends in her life – only Tetra and – and Shion.

“It’s good you have some more friends,” her sister told her during one of their nightly phone calls. “You of all people deserve a little more socialization.”

Her sister sounded hoarse – tired. But her tone was as warm as ever as they talked well into the night.

As Zelda got closer to opening day, the days seemed to blur past her in a rush. All the products she would sell were packed away and ready to be stocked. The storefront was painted a lovely cornflower blue, with the help of Adelaide and Talia. She has the schedules and account books ready, and Zelda knows it’s going to be a lot of work, keeping up this little business of hers – but she was ready. She could do it.

And just like that, it was springtime, and the shop was open.

Zelda names it _Aster,_ for her husband.

-o-

A light, jaunty beat was playing throughout the room from the radio on the counter, and Zelda bounced to the beat as she neatly placed shampoo bottles on a shelf.

The reception to Aster opening has been…better than she expected.

For the last few weeks, Zelda has gotten a regular, steady stream of customers – more than she ever expected to get. It was surprising; what with the reputation she has in this town, she expected for her dream to fall to pieces within weeks. But it hasn’t.

Zelda’s thoughts were interrupted by someone plucking the shampoo she was holding out of her hand and placing it on the shelf, and she blinked rapidly at her empty hand.

“You’re brooding, little bird.”

“I am not _brooding_ ,” Zelda protested as Urbosa grabbed her hand, pulling her from behind the counter.

“The wrinkle between your eyes tells me otherwise.” She poked at the space between her eyes, and Zelda gasped loudly, insulted. “You take that back! There’s no wrinkles!”

“There will be if you keep stressing like that! You should have wrinkles from smiles.”

“I _do_ smile!”

Mipha laughed at their bickering, the flash of her teeth bright against her dark skin. “You were looking a little gloomy, Zelda.” She pointed out, and Zelda frowned at her, betrayed.

“Mipha! I thought you’d be on my side!”

“Nope.” Urbosa said staunchly, “and Mipha is never wrong. We’re old hat at this, now –”

“We’ve only been open for _a few weeks_.”

“– and it’s slow, right now. The kids are in school and the adults are at work. _Relax._ ”

Urbosa gives her a twirl, and Zelda laughs in surprise, the skirt of her dress twirling around her calves. “Alright, alright!” she giggles, “I’ll try and relax.”

Zelda let Urbosa dance her around the shop, and in a moment of spontaneity, Zelda let her go to grab Mipha’s hands, her bashful laughter ringing in the air as they spent a moment swaying back and forth.

The lull in business ended half an hour later, the streets filling up with people getting out of work and children finished with school. Zelda was back behind the counter, finishing up placing the last few bottles of shampoo on the shelf when a flash of gold caught her eye.

“Mommy!!”

Their voices were muffled by the glass, and Zelda turned to see Adelaide and Talia smooshing their faces against the window, making funny faces.

She laughed at their ridiculous way of announcing their presence, not even minding that she was going to have to clean the glass. Today had been so pleasant to Zelda so far; nice weather, steady business but nothing too overwhelming –

It only makes sense for something to go sour.

“How’s your man-killer mommy doing?”

“Witch! Witch! You’re a bitch! Witch! Witch! You’re a bitch!”

The chant sounded faint, through the glass, but it send a chill down Zelda’s spine all the same, hearing the same taunt that hounded her and her sister all those years ago. Towards her children.

_Her children._

There was a crackle in the air as she whirled around, eyes narrowed into slits. Her daughters were gone, swallowed up into the crowd of children that surrounded them, but Zelda could see Talia’s sparkly backpack and the back of her head as she tried to pull her sister away.

_All these years, and they still can’t think of new insults to say._

“I’ll be right back.” Zelda ground out, and she rushed outside towards the group of children. _“Hey!! What on earth do you think you’re doing??”_

Her voice was like a clap of thunder, sending the children scattering back and the parents rushing in, and their taunts died down to nothing as she wrapped an arm around Adelaide and pulled her back, kicking and struggling.

“ _Really_ , Zelda,” a blonde Hylian woman said, an arm around the boy that started this mess as she looked scathingly at her daughters. “You should learn to control your children better – those troublemakers started this.”

“Yes, _thank_ you, Lilia.” Zelda stressed, acidic. “I’ll start listening to your _helpful_ advice when I see an improvement in _your_ children’s behavior.”

Lilia blinked rapidly, huffing at the insult, and pulled her child tighter to her chest when Adelaide bucked in her grip.

“I _hate_ you!!” She cried, her face ruddy and wet with tears. “I –”

“Adelaide,” Zelda began to warn her, and didn’t stop her in time when she pointed at the boy.

“I hope you get _chicken pox!”_

“She didn’t mean that!” she cried out as gasps rippled around them, tugging her girls behind her back. “She was just joking!”

“ _No_ ,” Talia said, shaking her head rapidly. “No, mommy, she wasn’t, she _meant_ it.”

Zelda sighed roughly as the crowd dispersed with the usual glares and whispers and grabbed Adelaide’s shoulders, kneeling to look into her teary red eyes. “Adelaide, you can’t _do that_ ,” she whispered harshly. “I told you we don’t do magic – we do _not_ cast and mess with people and their lives like that, understand? This isn’t something you can play with.”

“No!! I _don’t_ understand!!” She roughly jerked away from Zelda, her eyes fiery and hurt. “And _you_ don’t cast, mommy! And at this point, you probably couldn’t even if you _tried!!_ ”

Adelaide grabbed Talia’s hand and whirled around, stomping down the street towards home and leaving their mother reeling on the sidewalk. Through the hurt ringing in her ears, Zelda caught bits of their conversation as they walked off, voices carried on the wind.

“Addy, you probably hurt mommy’s feelings…”

“Talia, she has all this power and _never_ uses it -!”

Her eyes drifted closed, slowly, and there was nothing Zelda could do but sigh. Eventually she got up. Brushed the dirt off her skirt.

And then she avoided everyone’s eyes as she went back inside to work.

-o-

“Auntie Impa?”

“Yes, sweetheart?”

“Addy says that any man who tries to marry us is gonna die – is that true?”

Voices drifted up from the kitchen as Zelda made her way down the stairs, dressed down in more comfortable clothing for the evening. She frowned at Talia’s question, pausing on the stairs as Impa scoffed loudly.

“Oh, that’s ridiculous – what about your grandparents, hmm? Grandpa Rhoam and Grandma Aleksandra?”

“But didn’t grandma die of a broken heart?” Adelaide asked, and Zelda finished her quiet descent down the stairs. “How could she do that? Leave mommy and Auntie Tetra behind?”

“How come she doesn’t talk about it?” Talia piped up, and before her aunts could get a word in, Adelaide spoke up with another question.

“Mommy has magic right? Was she good at it when she was our age? How come she doesn’t do anything now?”

That was Zelda’s signal to break this conversation up, and she stepped out of the shadows, arms crossed over her chest. Talia was sitting in Impa’s lap, wide eyed as she held a spoon that must have been the reason for the chocolate smeared across her mouth. Adelaide was sitting next to Purah, the two of them slathering icing on cupcakes.

She raised an eyebrow. “So, what’s going on down here?”

“Ah, nothing, Zelly.” Purah said brightly, “we’re making toast!”

“Mm. I’m sure you are.”

Zelda turned her attention to her daughters. “Alright, you two – did you finish your homework for the night? It’s time to start getting ready for bed, okay? And a storm is coming, so make sure to check the windows around the house.”

“Yes, mommy,” they grumbled, but they accepted their kisses and hugs without complaint before running upstairs.

Looking back at her aunts, Zelda made a face. “‘Making toast,’” she repeated, sarcastic, and Impa raised an eyebrow as the toaster popped on the counter behind her, displaying two golden pieces of toast.

She wasn’t going to be fooled. “Watch what you say around those two, understand? They’re not going to live on fallacies and nonsense.”

“Oh, _Zelda_.” Purah rolled her eyes, exasperated. “We would never tell those girls _nonsense._ ”

“Of course you wouldn’t.” Shaking her head, Zelda went back to the stairs, waving over her shoulder. “I need to go make sure those rascals actually go to bed. Goodnight Auntie Impa, Auntie Purah.”

“Goodnight, sweet.”

“’Night, Zelly!”

Climbing up the stairs, Zelda sighed and ran a hand down her face, listening to the wind rattle against the windows. She could practically feel the prickle of electricity in the air and knew that this coming storm was going to pack a punch.

Tucking her hair behind her ear, Zelda continued her climb and went to make sure her daughters got ready for bed.

-o-

As spring slowly crept into summer, Zelda felt…fine.

She wasn’t sure if that was the right word for it; most days were fine now, certainly, but there was always a constant thrum in the background – an ache. She had her family, and her two new friends…but that didn’t stop Zelda from feeling so lonely.

It’s almost been a year, since Shion died, and the thought sat heavily in her mind.

As the eve of the summer solstice approached, Zelda felt off – antsy. That night, she kept pacing back and forth in her room, her mind heavy with thoughts and heart filled with a loneliness so sharp her limbs throbbed.

She couldn’t relax, so after making herself a cup of tea she did the only thing she felt she could do – she wrote a letter to her sister.

Zelda stirred her spoon around in her cup, and she didn’t pull her eyes away as she let the spoon go, watching it continue to stir her tea on its own, spurred on by the lightest push from her magic.

 _Tetra,_ she writes –

_I know that this can be done through a phone call, but you know how I am – I always like to get my thoughts out on paper. It’s why I write to you so much!_

_But I’ve been feeling really off, lately. I thought it was because of the oncoming solstice, but…it’s not that. I know it’s not that. It’s almost been a year since I lost Shion to the curse. Tet, sometimes I feel so empty – like there’s a hole in my chest, and it aches so much I can feel it all over. It’s a hollowness. I wonder, if you put an ear to my chest, can you hear the ocean because of it? It would probably sound a lot like home._

Zelda lowers her pen for a second, sighing quietly as she looked out at the moon. It was full tonight, shining so brightly in the sky that it was blinding, and Zelda frowned as she took note of the silvery ring around the moon before turning back to her letter.

_The moon is lovely tonight, Tet – I wonder if you’re looking at it too, right now. But there’s a ring around it…a sign that trouble is coming. I shouldn’t be surprised, since apparently, we Hyrule women do nothing but stir up trouble, but…I’m wary. There’s been enough trouble already._

_I have a dream. A dream of becoming whole, one day – of going to bed not feeling lonely, wanting so badly that my entire body aches of it. It’s silly, but…some nights – you remember those nights, right? When you could hear the ocean on the breeze, and the weather is clear and just right…sometimes, during those nights, I dream of a love that time would take pause for. I wouldn’t mind it, I think – to be loved again. To be seen as more than just a cursed widow._

_But who knows? Maybe that time with Shion…maybe that was my happiness. Maybe that’s all I get. And I don’t want to believe that Tet, but – maybe there really is no man. There’s just the moon._

Zelda was placing the envelope containing her letter in the mail when her phone began to buzz loudly in her back pocket. And the sound made Zelda’s heart drop into her stomach because somehow – somehow, she just _knew_.

Something was wrong.

“Tetra??” She asked as she answered the phone, rushing up the path towards the house. “What is it, are you okay?”

For a moment, there was no response, and Zelda thought she was going to throw up from panic before Tetra sighed, a small, shaky thing.

“Can you come get me?”

-o-

Zelda’s motions were rushed as she grabbed everything she would need – purse, cell phone, jacket – running down the stairs to the taxi that waited for her outside.

“I don’t know how long I’ll be gone,” Zelda explained as she gave her girls a kiss. “I need to go pick up your Auntie Tetra, okay? Impa, Purah, watch the girls.”

“Of course,” Impa said, nodding sharply. “We’ll take them with us to the solstice celebration.”

“What?! Why? Can’t you two stay home?”

“Stay _home?_ ” Purah repeated, “of course we can’t stay home! We can’t back out of the celebration, we’re on the _committee!_ We’re _presenting._ ”

Zelda tossed her head back and groaned, exasperated. “Fine! But no dancing under the full moon naked.”

“Zelly, we’re not gonna make them dance _naked_ – don’t you remember that the nudity is _optional?_ ”

Tetra had given her location in a tight, exhausted voice – Faron, a day and a half away. Zelda did her best to grab a ticket for the first flight she could find, and in a few hours she was standing in Faron’s muggy heat, panic setting her teeth on edge. It was well after midnight, when she landed, and her eyes itched with exhaustion – but she couldn’t stop now. Not when her sister needed her.

So she hailed a cab, and directed the driver to where her sister was waiting for her.

She found Tetra in an empty bus station, sitting on the hood of an obnoxious red car, arms wrapped tight around her knees. The moon had changed, overhead – its silvery glow was gone, replaced with a blood red tinge.

It made her nervous.

“Tet?” She called out once she was close enough, and her breath caught in her chest when her sister turned her head.

Tetra looked exhausted, dark shadows beneath her eyes that told Zelda of a lack of sleep, and from her cheekbone to the corner of her eye there was a bruise, a sickly black and blue. Her sister tried to give her a smile, disturbing the cut on her lip, and Zelda saw red.

“Hey, Zel.”

“Who did this?” Her voice was a thin whisper, she was so angry, and Tetra winced. “Tetra, _who did this?_ ”

“…Groose.”

She held up a hand as Zelda opened her mouth in outrage. “I know, I know! It’s – he’d been _weird_ – for weeks! We’ve been driving all over, from Gerudo, to Tabantha – just, all over! And he kept asking me, you know – when we’d make it official, when we’d go steady or get married or whatever, and I was – I just told him I wasn’t sure about it. That I liked what we had now, just having fun and he just -!”

She furiously swiped at her face. “He just – hit me! Zelda, he _hit_ me! And I couldn’t do it. I couldn’t take it anymore. So I – I put belladonna in this Gerudo whiskey he likes, knocked him out. And then I stole his car and drove here. All the way to Faron.”

Tetra gestured at the car she was sitting on, and Zelda gaped at her.

“You _stole_ the _car??_ ”

“What else could I do??” She burst out, “I couldn’t think, I – I didn’t want him to be able to follow me, so I –”

“Okay, Tetra. Okay. Let’s –”

Zelda bit at her thumb, wondering what to do next. “…We’ll take the car.” She finally decided, and Tetra blinked rapidly at her. “Huh?”

“We’ll just take it. Drive it home and figure out what to do then.”

“Zel…are you sure?” Her sister asked, and she could only choke out a laugh. “Of course I’m not sure! But…” She shook her head, “no matter. Just – let’s get in the car and go – you said you drugged him again?”

“Yes.”

“Then we’ve got plenty of time to get away from here, before he wakes up.”

Tetra sighed shakily, sliding off the hood of the car, and tilted her head skyward, gazing up at the moon. “Blood on the moon,” she whispered, and Zelda nodded, sliding into the driver’s seat of the car.

“Yes. It appears that trouble is on the horizon.”

Tetra fell asleep, halfway through the drive, and Zelda’s eyes burned with exhaustion – but she couldn’t stop. Her mind was racing too much anyway. They needed to tell their aunts, tell the police – somebody, so Tetra would be safe. She peeked over at her sister, traced over the bruise on her face and her split lip with her eyes, and quietly vowed to herself that this man would never lay another hand on her sister – not while she was alive.

It took Zelda the rest of the night and most of the morning to drive back to Lanayru Bay, stopping only to refill on gas and buy an energy drink to stay awake. Tetra had driven all the way to Faron from the Gerudo province, which must have taken a few days – the least she could do with take them the rest of the way home.

She barely remembered pulling up to the house, numbly pulling the key from the ignition and shaking Tetra awake. Leaning on her sister, they made their way stumbling into the house, crawling up the winding staircase and making a beeline to Zelda’s room. Zelda kicked off her shoes and threw her jacket – somewhere and was unconscious before her head even hit the pillow.

Zelda didn’t know how long she had slept, but when she groggily blinked awake it was nighttime, the moon shining a faint red tint into the window. Tetra was absent, but Zelda could faintly hear footsteps downstairs, so she assumed that was her. A quick glance at her phone told her that she had slept through most of the day and well into the night, and she groaned, rising to her feet and stretching.

She rubbed at the back of her neck as she made her way downstairs towards the kitchen, and Zelda slowly registered the light steps of her sister in the kitchen –

And a heavier set of footsteps chasing after her.

Ice shot through her veins.

Zelda practically flew down the stairs towards the kitchen, and her sister’s voice reached her ears. “How the hell did you find where I live??” She asked, her voice shaking with rage. “Can’t you take a hint? I don’t want anything to do with you anymore!”

“Tet, babe,” a man’s voice said, pleading, “I just want to talk, come on.”

“I don’t want to talk; I want you to get the hell out – hey! Let go of me!! Let _go -!_ ”

Her heart slammed into her throat as she skids into the kitchen, just as a tall man with red hair grabbed her sister’s arm, yanking her in.

 _Groose_ , she thought to herself. It had to be.

“I just wanna talk,” he grits out, though his tone sounded like he wanted the exact opposite. “I thought we had something, Tet – thought you’d be my girl. But you put something in my drink? Steal from me? Haven’t I been good to you? And you treat me like this.”

One of his hands dragged up her arm, across her shoulder, creeping over to her neck.

“I’ll teach you,” he said lowly, his hand wrapping around her neck. “I’ll give you a lesson, and then we’ll be back to how it was – we’ll go back to Gerudo, and you’ll be my girl, yeah?”

His hand tightened around her neck as he spoke, and Tetra clawed at his hand, eyes wide as she gasped for air, and Zelda –

Zelda didn’t think. She just moved.

She ran into the kitchen, grabbing the first thing her eyes landed on – a large, heavy cast-iron skillet. Her muscles strained as she picked it up, but with the rage pumping through her blood, the pan felt lighter than air as she grasped it with both hands.

“ _Get your hands off of her!!”_ She thundered, and when he turned, she swung the skillet with all her might, a ragged scream tearing from her throat.

The skillet collided with his head with a wet, sickening noise, and the man dropped to the floor, a dead weight.

The only sounds that filled the air were Tetra’s choked gasps and Zelda’s heavy breathing, overlain by the pattering sound of rain. Between them, Groose laid on the ground, unmoving. A slow puddle of blood began to spread around his head.

He wasn’t breathing.

It started sinking in, then – the enormity of what she had just done.

The skillet slipped from Zelda’s numb fingers, clattering loudly to the floor. Her head was – it felt like it was filled with static, white snow filling her vision as she stared at the body on the floor, at the puddle of red, growing and growing.

Because of her.

“Oh,” she choked out, raising a shaking hand to her mouth. “Oh, Goddess.”

She killed a man – with her own two hands, her own strength. There was a man, dead in their kitchen – and _she_ was the one that caused it.

“Tetra,” she choked out, looking up at her sister who could only stare back, wide eyed. “Tet, I – what can we do? What are we going to do, I – I have children. My _babies_ , I can’t – I can’t –”

It was getting hard to breathe, a vice tightening around her chest, and Zelda clutched at her chest, lights sparking at the edges of her vision.

“Zelda.”

Warm hands grasped at her arms, and Zelda jerkily looked into her sister’s wild eyes. “Let’s bury him.”

“Wh – what?”

“Bury him. Clean up the mess. No one can ever worry about it if there’s no proof he was here.”

“But…” she felt faint, and clutched at her sister’s arms in return, looking for something to ground her. “But shouldn’t we –”

“Shouldn’t nothing.” Tetra says harshly, “if word gets out about this? If the people in town get even a hint of what happened here? We’re Hyrule women, Zelda – that’s all they’ll ever see. They’ll make sure we _never_ get out.”

Her brain fizzled with panic and it – it made sense. If the townspeople caught a hint of what happened here…Her breath caught in her chest.

“Alright.” She whispered, faint. “We – we’ll bury him.”

She felt like she was outside of herself, as she helped Tetra drag Groose’s heavy body out into the yard, watching all of this happen from miles away. Zelda could barely feel the rain soaking them to the bone, leaving her cold. The mud squished between their bare toes, and Zelda took a second to catch her breath once they stopped near the foundations of what remained of her ancestor’s first home, Tetra running off to grab some shovels.

She lost herself to the repetitive motions of digging, sinking the shovel into the earth again and again, until they had a hole deep and big enough for them to – to hide the body.

It really sinks in, then – they’re _hiding a body._ Goddess.

Zelda feels like she’s going to be ill, as they roll Groose’s body into the hole, wincing at the loud, wet ‘thud’ he makes once he hits the bottom, and then they begin the frantic work of covering the hole back up, making sure it looked like they never dug a hole in the first place.

Tetra pulls her into her arms as soon as they’re done, pressing her cold cheek against hers. “Zelda,” she says quietly, and then falls silent. But that was okay – she understood.

“Come on,” Tetra says after a moment. “Let’s – let’s go clean up.”

-o-

“Do you – do you think that they’ll still remember me? The girls?”

It was the next day, and the aunts would be returning today with the girls. Zelda wasn’t sure how she was going to be able to act normally once everyone was home – but she would find a way.

They made a pact last night, as they scrubbed every trace of what had transpired from the kitchen. They promised each other that they would keep it secret – that no one needed to know what happened. They handled it as best as they could, and that’s what mattered.

“Of course they remember you.” Zelda reassured with a roll of her eyes, “Adelaide talks about you all the time. Don’t be ridiculous.”

But Tetra just wouldn’t stop fretting. “And the aunts? I’ve been gone for so long, I just – do you think –”

“Tet, this isn’t like you at all.” Zelda chided lightly, a faint smile teasing her lips as she leaned against the banister of the stairs. “Where has my brave, fearless sister gone?”

The smile her sister gave her was a shadow of what it once was, and she sighed, tugging at a lock of her hair. “Yeah,” she murmured, the tips of her fingers brushing across her bruise. “Where did she go?”

Zelda opened her mouth to say something, but the bright yellow visage of a taxi making its way to the house made her fall silent. “Ah – they’re here!”

She watched her daughters tumble out of the taxi, bright eyed and exhilarated with flowers braided into their hair, and sprint to the house, already calling for her.

“ _Mommy!!_ ” They cried in unison as they burst through the front door, running straight for her. “Mommy, mommy, guess what -!”

“It was _amazing,_ mommy, we got to –”

“ _We danced naked under the full moon!!_ ”

Zelda couldn’t stop her laughter if she tried, her daughters’ excited voices overlapping each other as they both tried to tell her of their weekend adventure. It took them a second to notice Tetra, hovering nervously in the doorway of the living room, but once they did, it looked like Christmas had come early.

“ _Auntie Tetra!!_ ” Adelaide gasped as Talia screamed as loud as she could, the two girls running over to throw their arms around her waist.

“Holy wow!” Tetra blurted out, wrapping her arms around both of them. “Are these my baby nieces?? Really?? You two have gotten so big!! I can’t believe it.”

They giggled as she fawned over them, brushing their hair away from their faces and pressing multiple kisses to their cheeks, and Zelda smiled at the scene, feeling something in her relax.

“Oh, my goodness.”

Zelda’s heart rate picked up again at Impa’s hushed whisper, feeling like she was going to just look at her and _know_ , but her aunt’s eyes were locked on Tetra, who straightened up to her full height under her gaze.

“Um…” Her eyes darted away, and then back to Impa as she gave her a shaky smile. “Hi, Auntie Impa.”

There was a shine in Impa’s eyes as she strode towards Tetra, cupping her face with a brilliant smile. “Oh, Tetra, my darling girl.”

Her gaze sharpened as she took in the bruise on her face, the split lip, but she softened and ran a gentle thumb over the skin. “We’ll put some mugwort on that, and clear it up straight away,” she murmured, and Zelda watched Tetra’s eyes shine with a film of tears.

“Move it, Impa! Let me hug my little niece!!”

Impa rolled her eyes and moved out of the way, hustling the girls into the kitchen as Purah threw her arms around Tetra’s neck, pulling her into a hug.

“My little Tet!!” She cried out, “it’s been so long – look at you!!”

“Hi, Auntie Purah!” Tetra laughed, hugging her aunt back tightly, a bright, relieved smile on her face. The happy air sobered some as Purah took in the bruise on her face as well, but the mood came as quickly as it went.

“Whoever did that to you is going to get what he deserves,” Purah says firmly, and Zelda’s heart rises into her throat as Tetra’s eyes dart to hers, just for a second.

_He already has._

“But hey!” Purah continues, her tone back to its chipper notes as she loops an arm through Tetra’s. “How about we eat something – how does brownies for breakfast sound?”

“Brownies –? Auntie, you still do that?”

“Of _course_ we do, why would we ever stop??”

Tetra’s laughter echoed throughout the house, and Zelda eventually followed her family to the kitchen, not noticing how Adelaide was staring out the window, a troubled, curious frown on her face.

-o-

Zelda was awoken two days later to Tetra poking at her face and her aunts' distant, loud laughter.

“What??” She groaned, swatting her sister’s hand away from her face. “I’m up, _what??_ ”

Tetra’s grin was bright, as she stared down at her. “The aunts are up,” she whispered, “and I checked the time – it’s midnight. You know what _that_ means.”

Zelda woke up a little more at that, pushing up onto her elbows as she raised her eyebrows at her sister. “Midnight teatime? Really?”

“Yes!! Let’s go, before they drink it all!”

“See,” Purah says as they come downstairs, “I _told_ you they would come. Now pour them some cups, let’s go!”

There were two mugs waiting for them when they entered the kitchen, and Zelda inhaled deeply, taking in the scent of black tea, oranges…and something else. A hint of spice. She hummed, wondering about it, and took a seat with her aunts, cradling the mug in her hands. She took a deep gulp and coughed at the kick of alcohol on the back end, a spicy sensation that warmed her to her toes.

“ _Jeez,_ ” Tetra wheezed, having taken a sip from her own mug. “Did you decide to whip out the strong stuff for once?”

Impa cackled at their reaction, the flush in her face letting Zelda know just how far ahead her aunts were in their midnight teatime. “Little ones can’t handle the stronger stuff tonight, huh?” Purah snickered, “how sad!”

“What!!” Tetra looked insulted, “I can handle it!! Watch –”

She took a deep gulp from her spiked tea, struggling not to make a face, and Zelda laughed outright at her, taking another long sip from her mug.

It didn’t take much for the alcohol to kick in, and after two mugs of spiked tea, they moved to just drinking the alcohol straight, passing the bottle between each other and refilling their mug.

“Zelllll,” Tetra whined, “Zellll, lemme read your palm.”

That sounded like a _great_ idea. “Sure!” Zelda said brightly, slapping her hand into her sister’s, and she watched fuzzily as she slowly read her palm.

“I seeeeee,” she started slowly, “I see a, a _man_.”

Zelda rolled her eyes at the words, but Tetra continued, determined. “I see a _man_ in your future, and he is – _gorgeous._ ”

Everyone cooed, a chorus of ‘aww’s going around the table before her sister threw a wicked grin at her. “And he’s _big._ ”

“ _Tetra,_ ” she gasped as their aunts cackled loudly, and Tetra continued, brazen.

“But you’re too scared!” she says loudly, “you’re too chickenshit to ever try and end up with another man, so now you’re just gonna be a frigid old hag, like your frigid hag aunts!”

Dizzy, Zelda reels back a little at the words, hurt. Blinking rapidly, Tetra shakes her head. “I don’t know why I said that,” she mumbled, reaching for her mug, “why did I say that? That was weird.”

“No matter,” Purah said, waving a casual hand. “You’re drunk. You probably just made all that up – last I saw you, you weren’t that gifted at palm reading anyway!”

“Tetra’s gifted in other ways,” Impa says dryly, “as we’ve seen in her traveling escapades.”

Zelda took a deep pull from her mug, swallowing loudly. “I think it’s _fine_ that Tetra has – _experience_ in relationships. It’s not like sleeping around is a crime!”

“Oh, like you would know!”

More laughter rang around the table as they drunkenly threw barbs at each other – words that a part of Zelda knows she would never mean. But she was too drunk to notice, anyway.

“Self -centered –”

“Ingrate –”

“ _Witch!!_ ”

They shrieked with laughter, even though it wasn’t funny – nothing felt funny then, but here Zelda was, tears in her eyes as she slapped at the table, trying to catch her breath.

“This alcohol tastes funny,” she heard Tetra mumble, “it tastes familiar…like –”

Suddenly, she stiffened up, and snatched up the bottle that was sitting at the center of the table, squinting as she pulled it close to her face to read the label. When she read whatever the brand of alcohol was, Tetra’s face paled, eyes wide as she looked around the room.

“Auntie Impa,” she said, voice tight, “Auntie Purah. Where did you get this bottle?”

The frightened tremor in Tetra’s voice made Zelda sober up completely, straightening up in her seat, but their aunts were still cackling into their mugs, barely paying attention.

“ _Auntie!!_ ” Tetra said again, louder. “ _Where_ did you get this??”

“You don’t have to _yell_ ,” Purah said, bringing her mug to her lips. “It was a gift – someone left it on the porch for us. Something _nice_ for once, can you believe it -?”

Zelda’s heartbeat throbbed in her ears, and Tetra looked shaken, jolting to her feet and taking the bottle with her to the sink, throwing the entire bottle into the sink and watching it shatter.

“Gerudo whiskey,” she heard her whisper shakily. “The _same kind_ , I don’t – how -?”

“What is happening?”

Impa’s voice was like the crack of a whip, and Zelda practically jumped out of her chair to stand near her sister. “What do you -?”

Her aunt looked completely sober now, staring them down with sharp, narrowed eyes. “Something is wrong,” she declared. “Something has happened.”

Zelda’s stomach sank, and she shook her head, the gesture making her vision swim as she wrapped her arms around her stomach. “Nothing’s happened,” she denied, shaky, “I –”

Next to the cupboard, a broom toppled over to the ground at Impa’s feet, the sound of the wood clattering loudly in the heavy silence, and Purah rose to her feet, staring at it with a grim frown.

“Company’s coming,” she murmured, and Impa’s glare intensified.

“Girls? You want to share something?”

Zelda felt like the walls were closing in on her too fast, and she shook her head, unable to look her aunts in the eye. “We – we had a problem, and we took care of it. That’s all.”

“That’s _all??_ ” Impa asked, eyes flashing. “Zelda Bosphoramus-Hyrule, you are not giving me the full story.”

But she wouldn’t say any more – she _couldn’t_. She couldn’t pry her jaw open to say the words even if she tried. Not with the broom at her feet. Not with her sister, shaking at her back.

Impa’s eyes hardened. “Fine,” she said, heading towards the stairs. “You don’t want to tell us? Then fine. Purah, let’s go.”

Purah gave them one last lingering look before following her sister up the stairs, and Zelda’s breath left her in a faint exhale as the sound of their steps faded into silence.

“Zelda,” Tetra whispered, “what…what do we do? What’s happening?”

Slowly, she shook her head, as though that would get rid of all the alcohol swimming in her blood. “I don’t know,” she said slowly, “but for now…let’s just go to sleep. We’ll figure it out in the morning.”

Their steps were sluggish, as they made their way upstairs to their room, and Zelda crawled into bed, pulling the blankets over her head and praying for the world to stop spinning – to have even ground to stand on, just for a moment.

-o-

Zelda would never drink Gerudo whiskey ever again. She swears on her life - on the Goddess herself.

Her head throbbed as she entered the kitchen, groaning at the bright sunlight that stabbed into her eyes. Talia was sitting at the island, eating a bowl of cereal, and Adelaide was standing with her back to them, staring out the window.

“Tet, clean all the glass from last night out of the sink, would you?” She groaned, and her sister mumbled something in response, retching slightly at the scent of stale whiskey that hung in the air when she neared the sink.

 _Ugh_ , Zelda groaned to herself, pressing a hand to her forehead. It hurt so much – she needed to make something. A tea, or – did she have all the supplies?

She scoured the cabinets, gathering all the things she would need to make a surefire hangover cure, but she couldn’t find – she was looking for – where was the mint??

“Adelaide,” she called, “could you grab some mint from the garden, please? Before it’s time for you to head out to school?”

“Not while he’s out there,” her daughter said quietly, sounding disturbed, and that gave Zelda pause.

“Who’s outside, sweetheart?”

“The man,” she said simply. “The man by the roses.”

That didn’t make any sense. “Roses? What are you –” She moved to stand next to her daughter by the window, peering out to see what she was talking about, and Zelda almost stopped breathing.

By the old foundations of their ancestor’s house, there was a bush of roses. They were tall, imposing, and full of bright, crimson blooms.

And it was growing in the exact spot where they buried Groose.

“He’s standing right there,” Adelaide said, “right by the roses – the bush just grew overnight!”

Zelda felt frozen; she couldn’t move, couldn’t look away from those roses, the blooms screaming at her _I’m here, I’m here, and I know what you did, I know, I remember –_

“Talia,” she choked out, “could you go find your aunts, please?”

“Mommy, they left.”

It took everything in Zelda not to scream, and she buried her face in her hands, unsure about what to do next.

“What do you mean, they left?” Tetra asked, voice trembling.

“They came to us last night,” Talia explained finishing her cereal, “Auntie Purah gave me and Addy these –”

She pointed to her neck, and Zelda saw a thin, weathered string of rope, tied around their necks.

“– and said that they were from Auntie Zelda, to protect us.” Talia nodded shortly before brightening up, remembering something. “Oh! Auntie Impa wanted me to give you two a message!”

“Oh? Zelda asked, barely hearing her own voice over the ringing in her ears. “What message is that?”

Talia beamed at them brightly, puffing up with the childish pride of accomplishing a grown-up task.

“ _Clean up your own mess._ ”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> alright! chapter 2 done!
> 
> link will be showing up in the next chapter, I promise.
> 
> but I hope y'all like this so far! I'm always iffy on my holiday fics (see - the kingdom hearts xmas fic), but I try to see them to the end no matter what! one day maybe I'll hit my groove with them, haha - maybe this christmas?
> 
> also, cute lil tidbit about shion's name - if you're reading my hyrule world tour series, you'll know I named the court poet shion 'cause the name can mean 'poem' and 'sound'. but! shion can also mean 'aster', which is a flower that has medicinal properties! heyo, always on theme, that's me! or at least I try to be.
> 
> anyway, comments and kudos are always loved!
> 
> have a good weekend! until next time!


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hello again! happy thursday! I got this posted a day earlier than I usually do!
> 
> this one's a fucking doozy at a whopping 10k words and I'd apologize but my chapters are usually pretty long, so hey! get a snack or a drink or something and enjoy.

Tetra burst through the back door and sprinted into the yard, and Zelda could do nothing but follow.

Her breath escaped her in wheezing pants, and she gaped in disbelief with her sister at the tall, full rosebush.

“Oh no,” Tetra breathed, her hands rising to her face. “Oh no, oh Goddess, what –”

She shook her head. “Zel, what – what do we do? I don’t – we –”

Her sister looked so lost, and Zelda – she had to try and do something. So she gathered her thoughts, trying to stay calm as she grabbed her hands. “Tet,” she said, soothing,“it’s okay. We just need to get rid of the rosebush, okay? It’ll be alright.”

“But what if it comes back?” Her sister whispers. “Groose was – he was always so clingy. He could never let go.”

“Then we’ll figure it out,” Zelda said firmly. “Our aunts aren’t – we’re on our own, right now. So we’re going to find a way to fix this. We have to.”

_Clean up your own mess._

“Okay,” Tetra whispered to herself, slowly starting to calm. “Okay. Let’s…let’s grab the shears.”

It was a foolish hope, Zelda thought, that as they slowly cut away at the rosebush, trimming it down until not even the roots remained, that the fix was as easy as getting rid of a simple bush. But Zelda went back inside, looking at the bare patch of earth, and hoped for the end of it all the same.

The next day, Zelda felt a scream rise up, trapped in her throat when she looked out the window and saw that the rosebush had returned, fully grown. As though they never cut it down in the first place.

She felt helpless, frozen in place with her guilt. Zelda couldn’t think of what else to do that could fix this – and despite her desire for the world to just… _stop_ , so she could figure this out, time pushed on regardless.

Zelda had worked hard, to obtain the normalcy she has longed for since she was a child – cultivated this life for herself and her children with her own two hands. And she was loathed to give up any part of her routine now.

So she gave into the demands of time to move forward. She sent her children to school, as always. She went back to work.

She never looked at the rosebush.

Zelda didn’t feel right leaving Tetra at home by herself while she and the girls were away, biting her nails to nothing and trapped with the reminder of what they’d done growing in the yard. So she thought it would be best to give her sister something to do, and gave her a job at her shop, selling products to the customers.

“Zelda! This stuff is incredible, are you kidding me??”

Her eyes narrowed slowly as Zelda stared hard at her sister, who was sitting on the windowsill near the doors, rubbing one of the lotion samples she had put out onto her arms. She tapped her pen against her planner in an irritated tempo, and the tempo only increased as Tetra began to rub the lotion into her legs.

“Tetra,” she said slowly, trying not to let her irritation show, “you know that when I hired you on to work with me…I expected you to actually do some _work?_ ”

Tetra blinked at her, a confused look on her face, “what do you mean? I am working! I’m sampling the product so I can know how to sell it to customers.” But Zelda could see the teasing light in her eyes, letting her know that she wasn’t doing a great job at hiding how annoyed she was, and Tetra was going to use that to poke at her.

She set her jaw, breathing in and out slowly, and she could practically hear Mipha and Urbosa share a look across the store.

Zelda would _not_ give in to the urge to snap at her sister – her behavior wasn’t even _that_ annoying - and she slammed her planner shut, picking it up with a small binder and pulling it to her chest.

“I’m going out,” she tells them. “Mipha, Urbosa, you know where I’ll be – if something comes up, just give me a call.”

Zelda strides out the door, letting it swing shut behind her, and before the door closes, she hears Tetra ask them, “what’s up with her?”

She scoffed to herself because what _wasn’t_ up with her? She’s been on edge, guilt and helplessness dogging at her heels wherever she went. Her heart has been racing on and off for the last few days, her dreams filled with large, blooming roses, heavy with the coppery scent of blood.

And yet here she was – clinging to normal by the tips of her fingers, going to a parent meeting to see who would get picked for the phone tree, knowing she would be overlooked yet again.

Zelda kept her head down as she entered the borrowed classroom where the parents would be meeting, barely paying any mind to the whispers that washed over her at her arrival. She found a seat in the back, keeping her eyes low and opening her binder, aimlessly writing down notes and reminders. She needed to restock on cooling lotions, now that summer was approaching, and maybe bring in some type of sunburn cure, as well. And she wondered if it would be possible to make a hair mask with warm safflina as an ingredient…and maybe a batch with armoranth, too, for people with breakage problems…

“Ah…hello?”

The new voice pulled her out of her head, and Zelda realized that the room was completely silent, everyone gaping at the figure standing in the doorway.

Tetra blinked rapidly, slowly raising a hand and giving the room a wave. “I’m just here to see –” her eyes found Zelda’s where she was tucked away in the back of the room. “- my sister. Hello.”

The whispering started up again as her sister weaved around the desks and tables, taking a seat next to Zelda and giving her a smile.

“I didn’t know she was _back_ ,” Zelda heard Lilia hiss, elbowing Traysi in the side. “I thought you kept tabs on things like that!”

“Well it’s not like I’ve _seen her in town!_ ”

“One is bad enough, but having _both_ of them back here now -?”

Tetra rolled her eyes, tapping her fingers across the desk, and pressed her lips together when the loud ‘ _snap!’_ of a binder ring filled the air, a yelp of pain quickly following. All eyes automatically turned to them, and Tetra stared back, placid, as though nothing awry occurred.

Zelda couldn’t stop the twitch of amusement as she nudged her sister in the side. “Stop it,” she whispered, and Tetra gave her a wicked grin. “What? That wasn’t me. Lilia needs to watch her fingers.”

“Oh, I’m sure.”

They dissolved into giggles as Nikki, standing at the podium, called the room into order, saying it was time to announce the people chosen for the phone tree. Zelda listened with half an ear as the people were chosen, and tried not to feel insulted, though it prickled under her skin all the same. She was perfectly responsible enough to have a part in the phone tree, but no one ever gave her a chance because of her family. Sometimes Zelda wondered why she even _bothered_ wasting her time, coming to these meetings, but she knew that being absent would only make people think worse of her – she was damned either way, no matter what she did.

“And now,” Nikki was saying brightly, “I’m so happy to announce that the person at the top of the phone tree list is –”

She looked down at her papers, and her face fell with shock, lips pursing into a confused line as she flipped between her papers, eyes darting back and forth. “It’s, uh – um –”

Nikki looked up at the crowd and her eyes were panicked – and resigned.

“It’s Zelda Hyrule.”

“Bosphoramus-Hyrule,” Zelda corrected, automatic, before the words sunk in. “Wait –”

“Good job, Zelda!!” Tetra cheered, wrapping an arm around her and pulling her close. “Now _that,_ ” she murmured into her ear, “was me.” And Zelda had to turn her head to hide her smile into her sister’s shoulder.

“You’re terrible,” she said happily, and Tetra snickered into her hair. “Yeah. I guess I am.”

-o-

The good mood Zelda was able to scrounge up after that didn’t last and by next week, it had vanished completely.

Her girls refused to go out and play in the garden; Adelaide told her that ‘the man’ was always there, standing by the rosebush. “He’s just staring,” she says plaintively. “Mommy, he just keeps looking into the house.”

On top of her daughters’ fear, Tetra wasn’t sleeping.

Zelda found this out one evening when she woke up in the middle of the night and saw that Tetra’s bed was empty. She left her bed, checking on the girls first to make sure they were sleeping well before quietly going downstairs. She found her sister in the kitchen, the doors to the back door wide open as the wind blew her hair around her face.

“Go away, Groose,” she was whispering. “Leave us alone. Just _go_.”

Her voice was stretched thin, exhausted, and Zelda thought her sister looked so small, just then, arms wrapped around herself as she stared out into the dark.

Her heart ached at the sight, and Zelda quietly called out to her. “Tetra.”

She stiffened at the sound of her voice and turned slowly to face her, eyes rimmed with red and bruised with shadows. She looked _exhausted_ , hollowed out, and it made Zelda wonder just how long her sister hasn’t been able to sleep.

She just doesn’t know what to do with it, this helplessness she feels.

“Come and sit down,” she said softly, moving towards the stove and grabbing the kettle. “Close the door. I’ll make tea.”

She stayed focused on her task, going to the sink and keeping her eyes on the kettle as it filled up with water, but her ears twitched as she heard Tetra slowly shut the doors and shuffle to the island in the middle of the kitchen, sitting down on one of the stools with a heavy sigh.

Zelda makes Tetra some tea. The best tea she could think of, that could soothe her sister enough to sleep through the night – lavender, chamomile, and just the smallest amount of belladonna. She takes a seat next to her and slides the mug over. Reaches out and takes her free hand, holds it tight.

Halfway through her tea, Tetra started to sniffle, and she put her mug to the side to press her hand over her eyes, bowing her head as her shoulders started to shake.

Ever since they were kids, Tetra has always been _loud_ ; Zelda had a childhood full of screaming at the top of their lungs as they ran around the yard, and loudly singing along to songs on the television or the radio, dancing around in the living room. Whenever Tetra walked into a room, she would always announce her presence, made sure no one could look away; she was big and bright and noisy in everything she did.

But as Tetra cried into her hand, it was quiet. Sound barely passed through her lips as she sobbed, low and tired, and that was what left Zelda shaken.

She understood the source of her sister’s tears – she felt it too. Caged in by what they had done. Trapped.

Zelda had never felt so useless in her life.

She always tried to be a do-er, tried to be a person that always had the solution to fix a problem as best as she could…but she didn’t know how to fix this. And the only ones that could help are nowhere to be found.

_Clean up your own mess._

_But how??_ Zelda asked herself helplessly. She didn’t _know_.

All she knew was that for now, she could hold her sister’s hand as she cried. Encourage her to finish her tea and then lead her upstairs, watching her until she finally dozed off.

The next morning, after taking her daughters to school, she went to the garden and grabbed the shears.

Zelda knew it was a futile endeavor – that the rosebush would return the next day, fully grown. But right now, it didn’t matter. It felt _good_ , savagely hacking away at the bush, barely noticing the sting of thorns against her skin as roses scattered around her feet. She wanted it gone – she wanted the roses to be _gone_ , and for any hint of Groose’s presence to disappear, no longer able to weigh on her sister and terrify her daughters to the point that they wouldn’t go into the garden –

“Are you not happy with the roses?”

Zelda was so wrapped up in cutting down the rosebush that she didn’t notice the footsteps approaching behind her, and she whirled around to stare into the bluest eyes she’s ever seen.

There was a man standing at the end of the path into the garden – Hylian, with wheat blond hair and those _striking_ eyes, wearing a deep red shirt and dark slacks. She didn’t recognize him – she _knew_ she didn’t – but the air hummed with a feeling of _knowing_. Like she’d met him before.

Zelda realized then that she was holding the shears rather threateningly and slowly lowered them. “I…” She licked her lips, nervous. “I…don’t like them, no. They’re…very stubborn.” It hit her again that this man was a _stranger_ near her _home_ , and she eyed him warily. “Can I help you?”

“I certainly hope so.” His voice was low and soft, with an accent Zelda just couldn’t pin down. Was he from Faron? Or somewhere in the Necluda region, perhaps? “My name is Link Forester – I’m a special investigator working with the Gerudo Province PD.”

He held an object out, and Zelda’s eyes traced the shield outline of the badge, gaping at the words etched into the shield in disbelief. Gerudo Province. Special Investigator.

“I’m here to inquire about a missing person – first name Groose, last name –”

_Oh, Goddesses._

“Yes,” she said, trying not to let how faint she felt show. “Yes, I know of him.”

He paused for a moment, his eyes quickly roving across her face, and Zelda knew she must look a mess – dressed in a tank top and jean shorts, barefoot and covered in dirt and scratches. Not really the best appearance to have when speaking to a _special investigator._

 _A very handsome one to boot,_ a little voice whispered, and it sounded so much like Purah that she had to bite at the inside of her cheek to hold back a grimace.

“I’d like to speak with your sister. Is she around?”

“…I can go fetch her,” Zelda said slowly, lowering the shears she was holding to the ground. “Just a moment.”

She backed away from the man – Link, she reminded herself, that was his name – and tried not to shiver too much at the weight of his eyes on her. She was halfway up the stairs leading to the back doors before something nagged at her brain. Zelda turned back, and saw that the man had moved, kneeling among the scattered, cut-up roses and picking one up.

“Mister Forester,” she called out, and he looked up, the rose hovering close to his face. She could only hope it doesn’t reek of blood, like in her dreams. “How…did you know Tetra was my sister?”

He smiled at her, a small thing, and her heartbeat kicked up a little when the gesture made his eyes crinkle in the corners. “Just a hunch.” He replied, and Zelda nodded slowly, taking another step towards the doors before turning back to him once more because she wasn’t raised in a _barn._ “Do you want to come inside?”

Zelda worked to keep her breathing even as she left him in the kitchen, her heart slamming against her sternum, and she just didn’t know if it was from the horrifying fact that there was a _cop_ here to talk about Groose, or –

 _There is no or,_ she fiercely reprimanded herself, leaning against the banister and shaking her head. _That is plenty reason enough._

Jaw set, Zelda grimly rushed the rest of the way up the stairs to the room she shared with Tetra, where she was sitting on her bed, brushing her hair. “Tet!” She hissed, frantic, “Tet, there – there’s a special investigator here, and he wants to ask questions about Groose, and I -!”

“Woah, woah, Zelda! Zel, come on!” Tetra hopped off her bed and grasped Zelda’s arms, holding her tight. “ _Breathe_. It’s gonna be okay.”

“ _How_ is it going to be okay?” Zelda demanded. “This man, he – he knows that Groose is missing! He came all this way, from _Gerudo_ , just to get some answers, and –”

“And” Tetra cut in soothingly, “we are just going to lie. We will lie and say that I haven’t seen him since you picked me up in Faron.”

The laugh that burst out of Zelda was slightly hysterical. “That’s the thing!” She says, a touch of shrillness edging into her voice. “I don’t _know_ if I can lie to him.”

“What do you mean, you don’t _know??_ ”

“I don’t know!!” Zelda despaired, “I just – I looked at him, and I felt – I feel…”

She can’t explain it without sounding like she’s lost her mind – the feeling of _knowing_ him, of having his eyes on her and feeling – too much.

Zelda shook her head. “He mainly wants to talk to you, anyway.”

Tetra sighed quietly and set her mouth into a determined line. “We’ve got this, Zel.” She urged, shaking her gently. “We can do this and send him away, keep him off our backs. All we have to do is say that we haven’t seen him since I met you in Faron, and we haven’t seen him since. Okay?”

“Okay…” Zelda mumbled back, reluctant.

“Cool. Give me a minute, okay? I’ll be down with you in a second.”

“Alright –”

“Oh! Zel!”

“What??”

Tetra grinned at her, and it was so mischievous that it automatically made her hackles go up. “Is he cute?”

Zelda knew she was blushing – she could feel the heat radiating off her face. “He’s –” she forced out, “extremely handsome, yes. In a – you know.” She waved her hand in a circle, “sort of way.”

That didn’t make any sense, but Tetra snickered at her all the same. “In a ‘sort of way’, huh? Well, I’ll see for myself.”

Tetra smirked at her, and despite her attitude, she still looked wan and tired. Zelda frowned when she finally left the room, slowly making her way down the stairs and wondering if her tea was able to help Tetra sleep. When she made it back downstairs, the special investigator – _Link_ – was nowhere to be found. There was a stab of panic in her heart, for a second, but Zelda had a hunch on where he could be, and she followed it.

She found him in the greenhouse attached to the kitchen, appraising the rows upon rows of green things with a curious eye, reaching out to gently touch the petals of a silent princess.

“It’s just plants,” she called out, peeking from around the entryway as she announced her presence. “Flowers, and herbs, and – you know. Garden stuff.”

“Garden stuff,” Mister Forester repeated, amused, and heat prickled along her cheeks as she nodded, taking a quick step backwards as he left the greenhouse behind. “How did you find your way to Lanayru Bay, anyhow, Mister Forester?” Zelda asked as she led him back to the kitchen.

His answer came swiftly. “We found some belongings left behind at Groose’s last place of residence, and items that belonged to your sister – some clothes, a stone of some kind – and a letter. From you.”

That stopped Zelda short, and her head jerked around to look at him, wide eyed. “My letter?” She repeated, numb. It must have arrived in Gerudo, but never reached her sister. “Did you – read it? My letter?”

There was something in Mister Forester’s eyes, as he looked at her – bashfulness? But his gaze was steady as he nodded, sharp. “Yes, ma’am.” He said softly. “I did.”

Zelda wasn’t sure how to feel about that. A roiling boil of emotions rose in her – outrage, betrayal, embarrassment –

“It,” she forced out, “was a very _personal_ letter, Mister Forester.”

“Yes, ma’am,” he repeated. “It was.”

Her nerves around him were forgotten as outrage won out, and Zelda opened her mouth, ready to rip this man a new one because how _dare_ he –

“Hello!”

Zelda didn’t realize how close she had gotten to him until her sister’s voice popped the bubble around him, making her jerk back and smack her head against the cupboard nearby. She moved away slightly, head throbbing as Tetra bounded down the stairs with a bright smile, getting right up into Link – _Mister Forester’s_ space. “Tetra Bosphoramus-Hyrule. And you are -?”

“Link Forester, special investigator for the Gerudo Province PD.” There was a rustle of paper as he grabbed a small notebook, pen already in hand. “Miss Hyrule, I’ll be brief with you – I’m here to ask you some questions on the whereabouts of your boyfriend, Groose –”

“Ah,” Tetra cut in, “he’s not – he wasn’t my boyfriend. We were just…having fun together. A mistake, on my part, in the end.”

With the focus entirely on Tetra, Zelda quietly shuffled away into the background, edging towards the sink to clean up some dishes and put them away.

“I’m guessing that’s leftover handiwork?” She heard Mister Forester ask, and knew he was talking about the bruise on Tetra’s face, slowly fading.

“Mm.” Tetra hummed in agreement, and her bright tone darkened some. “If a man ever puts hands on me, he only gets to do it once. Oh -! Mister Forester – can I call you Link?”

“I suppose –”

“Is it alright if I look at your -?”

Zelda peeked over at them, curious, and had to smother the urge to roll her eyes at the sight of her sister holding the man’s hand, reading his palm.

“I see,” she said, lightly tracing a finger down his palm, “that you have never raised a hand to a woman in all your life.”

She grinned at him, a flash of teeth, and Zelda knew that she was trying to be charming – it was irritating all the same, somehow.

“May I have my hand back, please?” Mister Forester asked, clearly not taking the bait, and Zelda bit back a laugh at how funny that was, to see her sister’s charms brushed off so easily. “So you haven’t seen Mister Groose since then?”

“I haven’t,” Tetra said easily. “After he hit me, I ditched him. Went to Faron on my own and waited for my sister to pick me up.”

“And when was this?”

“It was about…a week ago? Two?” Tetra peeked over at Zelda to confirm, and she shrugged.

“More or less.”

“I see,” he murmured, writing down on the notebook. “I’m assuming you returned here by the car parked out front?”

Zelda stiffened slightly.

The car. She forgot about the _car –_

“Yes. It’s my car, you see.” Tetra lied smoothly, and from the slight lift of his eyebrows, Zelda knew that her sister was caught.

“Is it now? Because I checked the plates, before coming to speak to your sister, and they match the ones that are under Groose’s name.”

_Oh, damn it, damn it all!_

“We stole the car!”

It burst out of her before she could think about it, and Zelda tried not to flinch as both pairs of eyes in the room jumped to her.

“We stole it, and, um –” Zelda tried not to fidget too much, “we know that it’s a crime! It’s absolutely a crime! So we’d – we’d very much like to give the car back to its owner, if we’re able!”

 _Even though we can’t_ , she thought to herself, but she wasn’t going to say that to him, no matter how much she’d like to.

Mister Forester’s eyes narrowed somewhat, and he stepped around her sister, moving closer to her. “So…you’re admitting you stole the car.”

“Yes, um – after Groose uh – we, we took the car, so he – he couldn’t follow us. He seemed like the type of person that would be a – a stalker, and follow her, so –”

“You were worried he would follow you,” he said. “Has he shown behavior like this before?”

“Uh –” Tetra sounded off-put, but Zelda could barely notice, distracted at just how _blue_ Li – Mister Forester’s eyes were. There wasn’t a hint of grey or green striations to be found – just a blue so clear that it made Zelda nostalgic, reminding her of those perfect summer days as a child –. “I…I guess? Groose always had, um… _expectations_ that we’d be something a little more official, even though I stated what I wanted when we started to fool around. He, uh – he…didn’t like that all that much.”

“If we didn’t take the car, he, he could’ve kidnapped her!” Zelda burst out, “or worse! I can’t allow that!”

She could see it now – Groose, looming over her sister, wrapping his hand around her throat and _squeezing_ –

She almost said it. Zelda suddenly wanted to say it so badly, looking into his eyes, so open and _honest._

That was dangerous.

“So, we took the car,” she mumbled, “and brought it, uh – here? So if you want to –”

Zelda watched Mister Forester’s eyes drift away, hovering somewhere near her collarbone, and he absently reached into his pocket and grabbed a handkerchief, reaching out to dab at her skin. At the edges of her vision, she saw the cloth dotted with red. There must have been a cut, from the rosebush. “If I want to -?” He said, prompting her to continue.

“If – if you want to, uh – to, um, you know –”

Over his shoulder, Tetra stared at her like she couldn’t believe what she was seeing, and Zelda wanted to sink into the floor and die as her sister watched her brain short circuit in real time. He was _ridiculously_ close to her, so close that she could catch a faint hint of the cologne he was wearing every time she breathed in, and his skin was just - so _warm_ through the thin handkerchief, and it sank into her bones, sending sparks across her skin that she hasn’t felt since – since –

“If you want to return the car to its rightful owner!” She squeaked out, “That would be wonderful! We’d be happy to return it! Groose is probably missing his – his car. That we stole. As a crime.”

“…Uh huh,” Mister Forester said, folding his handkerchief away. His tone gave nothing away, didn’t let her know if he believed the absolute _nonsense_ that was spilling out of her mouth. “So you’re saying you don’t know where he is?”

“Wh – huh?”

He tilted his head, eyes boring into her. “You don’t know where Mister Groose is?” He repeated, and she quickly shook her head, trying to _pull herself together._ “Oh! No, no, I’m sorry. We don’t.”

Mister Forester hummed thoughtfully. “Is it alright if I take a look around?”

“Yes,” Zelda said, voice faint. “Feel – feel free.”

She felt like she could breathe as Mister Forester stepped away, off to investigate the house, and Zelda knew her face was red as a berry as Tetra stared at her like she couldn’t believe what just happened.

 _What the fuck is wrong with you??_ She mouthed at her, and Zelda roughly pulled her hands through her hair, desperately wanting to scream.

 _I don’t know!!_ She mouthed back, and the two of them quickly gathered themselves to follow wherever Li – wherever _Mister Forester_ ran off.

-o-

“The reason we’re looking for Groose,” Mister Forester explained to them, pulling photos out of a thick folder, “is this.”

After a quick investigation throughout the house, Zelda and Tetra were back in the kitchen, sitting at the table with Mister Forester. He laid one photo down on the kitchen table, sliding it towards Zelda, and then handed another photo over to Tetra. In the picture there was a Hylian woman smiling widely at whoever was taking the picture, with short brown hair and green eyes.

“Her name was Nat,” Mister Forester further explained. “Her sister had reported her missing, a few years ago. She was found on the side of the road at the border of the Faron region and the Gerudo province – strangled to death. There were signs of struggle on her person, and DNA found beneath her nails.”

Zelda felt sick, and when she looked up at her sister, she saw that Tetra was paler than before, the photo of Nat shaking in her hand.

“If there’s anything you know about this ex – _friend_ of yours,” he says, “then it would be extremely helpful towards our case.”

She stared a stunned glance at her sister, and they could do nothing but sit back in silence, unable to say a word. Zelda stared down at the picture, at this woman that wasn’t here anymore, and she felt like the most wretched woman on earth.

 _I’m so sorry,_ she thought at the photo. _I wish we could’ve kept this from happening to you._

After that, there was nothing left to do but see Mister Forester out. Tetra stayed in the house, her face still pale and tired, so that left all the pleasantries on Zelda’s shoulders, who was still nervous about being so… _near_ to him.

“I am sorry that we couldn’t do more,” she murmured as she led him to the front door. She _was_ sorry, she wasn’t lying about that – but she was horribly relieved that this man would be leaving soon, hopefully to chase any other trails Groose left behind until the case goes cold.

Mister Forester hummed lightly, tucking his hands into the pockets of his slacks. “It’s fine,” he reassured her. “I have to stick around for a while, anyway.”

_What?_

Zelda’s eyes darted over to him, surprised, and a nervous thrill shot down her spine when she saw his eyes already on her. “Whatever for?”

He jerked his head towards outside. “The car needs to be towed.” He explained softly, “It’s evidence. I need to get that arranged, so I’ll be in town for a while.”

The smile he gave her was crooked. “I’ll be asking a few questions as well while I’m here - just to cover all the bases.”

Keeping her breaths even took a lot of effort, and Zelda laced her hands behind her back to hide the trembling. Oh, damn it, damn it all – did he not believe their story? Could he see right through her? Sticking around to investigate…that wasn’t good – the townspeople will have a field day with that, knowing that they were involved in the investigation in some way. Oh, Goddess, this was going to be _awful_ –

“Miss Hyrule. Here.”

Zelda snapped out of her panicked stupor at his voice and looked down at what he was offering her – a small, white business card, with his name and contact information.

Slowly, she reached out and took the card in hand, confused. “Why…?”

“If something comes up,” he explains, “anything at all – just call me. Okay?”

She frowns. “Mister Forester –”

“Call me Link,” he interrupts. “If your sister gets to call me by my name, then I guess you do, too.”

“…Link.” She says in return, soft. “Well, I suppose…you may call me Zelda, then. It’s only fair. And I – thank you. I’ll…call if I need to.”

“Zelda,” he repeats, quiet, and she tries not to shiver at the way he says her name. “Alright.”

Once he was gone, Zelda pressed her back against the door and slowly slid down to the floor, her hair a curtain around her face as she leaned forward to press her face against her knees.

She feels like things have gotten much more complicated, now.

-o-

It was the middle of the night, and there was a man in her room.

Zelda could barely see him; his features were clouded, murky, but she now and then she would catch something – a flash of red hair, a pair of eyes that were an unnatural, sickly yellow –

And he was in her room.

Faintly, she could hear Tetra in the bed next to her, breaths short and terrified as she tossed back and forth in her sleep. This had to be a dream – a _nightmare_ – because the man was made of shadows, of ash and smoke.

He took a step towards her bed, and mud sloughed off him and tumbled to the floor, collecting in shadowy puddles in his wake. The man took another shuffling step towards her bed, closer and closer, and Zelda was petrified; she couldn’t move, felt like she was being pressed down into her bed, and could only watch as the man got closer – as the mattress dipped beneath his weight as he climbed onto her bed.

He crawled over her, hovering on all fours, and just – stared at her. And Zelda could do nothing but look back. Those eyes…didn’t Tetra say they were brown, before? Now…they glowed, as they bored into her – that unsettling yellow light. Blood began to mix in with the mud, running in rivulets down his face, and she could see it – part of his skull, concave from where she caved his head in.

She could smell it – the mud, mixed with the acrid, copper scent of blood. Feel the way it dripped onto her cheeks, over her lips.

He didn’t say a single word, hovering over her; he only _stared_ , eyes burning with a malice that chilled her to the bone. Then, he smiled – wider and wider until it looked like it was going to split his face, laughter croaking deep within his throat. He slowly lowered himself down, and –

“Mommy?”

Zelda jolted awake with a gasp, and quickly pushed herself up onto her elbow, jerkily looking around the room. No one else was there; Tetra was still lying in her bed, looking troubled even in sleep, and Talia stood in the doorway to their room, teary eyed.

“What is it?” She whispered, pulling back the blankets and patting the empty spot next to her, and Talia quickly crossed the room and climbed into the bed, pressing as close to her chest as possible as Zelda tucked the blankets around them.

“I had a bad dream,” she explained, her voice wobbly. “Mommy, there was a man in the house. He was walking. I could hear his feet – it was scary.”

Zelda felt ice shoot through her veins.

“Oh, sweetheart.” She held her daughter close, feeling her tiny hands clutch tightly at her nightshirt, and felt a fierce rage. Groose – or whatever it was now, haunting their halls – would not get the chance to harm a single hair on her daughter’s heads. She would die before that happened. “It’s alright. You can stay with me, alright? I’ll keep you safe.”

Talia sniffled and burrowed deeper into the blankets until the top of her head barely showed. “Mommy,” she said, quiet. “I miss daddy.”

She sounded close to tears again, and Zelda felt her heart shrivel up in her chest.

Shion was always the one Talia went to, to soothe her after a nightmare. Even though it’s been a year, now, Zelda knew that despite her efforts, there were still times when Talia was quietly miserable.

“…I know.” Zelda whispered past the lump in her throat. “I miss him, too. But I’ll protect you, okay? Always.”

Talia sniffled a little. “Okay.”

“Do you want to visit grandma for a couple days with Adelaide? Would that make you feel better?”

Talia nodded into her collarbone, and Zelda resolved to give Naomi a call to schedule a visit – it would be good for the girls, to not be here for a while.

Zelda gently rubbed her back and combed her fingers through her soft curls until she heard Talia’s breaths even out, and even then she kept going, afraid to fall asleep herself.

Every time she closed her eyes, she could see that specter in her room, could feel it crawling into her bed and _staring_ at her. Zelda wasn’t sure she’d be able to get those eyes out of her head, that wide, unnatural smile. It gave her chills.

Holding her daughter close, Zelda closed her eyes and prayed to the Goddess – something she hadn’t done in years. She asked for protection, for Her to watch over her daughters, her sister – to keep them safe from the shadow that hovered over their home.

Her silent prayers slowly petered off with her exhaustion, and Zelda gave in to the pull of sleep, thankfully not having any more dreams – or nightmares.

When she awoke the next morning, Talia still curled up in her arms, even though warm summer sunlight streamed into their room, an unsettling chill remained.

For once, Zelda was eager to get everyone out of the house, and she walked the girls to school happily, ready to meet Tetra at Aster – until she saw a familiar head of wheat blond hair.

Her eager stride jerked to a halt, and Zelda quickly ducked behind the first thing she saw so she wouldn’t get caught – a large sign near an entrance to a restaurant. Doing this probably made her _more_ obvious, but – she just didn’t want to be seen! Biting her lip, she slowly peeked around the sign, wanting to observe.

Mister Forester – _Link_ – was dressed much more casually today, in jeans and a light patterned shirt, nodding with a skeptical eye as the old woman he was speaking to – _Uma,_ Zelda recognized with a sigh – spoke with wide, grand gestures. Talking about her, no doubt.

However long he would be here, he’d be in for a treat; the town would be eager to put her in as suspicious a light as possible, giving him every weird story and rumor that they could think of.

Well, Zelda didn’t want to be a witness to _that_ , and moved away from her impromptu hiding place as discreetly as she could, quickly going back on her path to work.

She didn’t see a hint of Link again until the end of the week. She was stepping out with the girls to hand them off to their grandmother, who came to pick them up for the weekend, when she saw him, heading towards Groose’s abandoned car.

“Who’s that, mommy?” Adelaide asked as Talia peeked curiously around her leg, and Zelda had to suppress a sigh.

“That’s Mister Forester,” she explains, kneeling to adjust Adelaide’s jacket. “He’s a detective, for the police. He’s here investigating something about a – a man, that your Auntie used to know.”

“Oh. Okay. Oh, he’s coming over here!”

Zelda let out a quiet sigh but had a cordial smile in place by the time she rose to her feet, turning to face Link as he approached. “Mister Forester,” she greeted, and he raised an eyebrow at her overly formal tone. One couldn’t come back from stumbling through a confession of car theft, she supposed.

But he played along. “Miss Hyrule,” he said quietly, and then he noticed her daughters pressed close to her. “And little Hyrules?” He guessed, and Zelda nodded, laughing quietly at his wording.

“Yes. These are my girls – Adelaide, Talia, you can say hello.”

“Hi!” Adelaide, bold as always, bounced forward, shouldering her overnight bag. “Nice to meet you!”

Talia stayed close to her, mumbling a bashful hello from behind her leg; her youngest was always shy around new people. She knew she’d loosen up once she was at Naomi’s.

“Nice to meet you, too.” He grinned warmly at them before bringing his focus back to Zelda. “I just wanted to inform you that I’ve come to check out the car before picking it up.”

“I understand.” Zelda was suddenly overcome with the wild urge to tease, to poke at him. “I noticed you around town, a few days ago. Doing some, ah…investigating?”

“I was.” His smile became tinged with bemusement. “The townspeople I’ve met so far have _interesting_ stories. But I won’t hold you up. I see that the little Hyrules have somewhere to be.”

“Yes!” Adelaide beamed, “we’re going to see gramma! She has a biiiig yard, covered in trees! Apple trees!”

“Wow, impressive! I had a big yard too, growing up. No apple trees, though – lots of horses instead.”

She could see the shine of interest in her daughters’ eyes, and Zelda knew she had to wrap this up, or else they’d never leave. “You can ask him about all the horses later, girls.” She said firmly, “grandma’s waiting for you, remember?”

“Right! Bye, Mister Forester!” Adelaide ran off further down the long path where Naomi was waiting for them, and Zelda gave Link one last distracted farewell before grabbing Talia’s hand and hurrying after her. By the time she’d finished handing her children off to Naomi and having a quiet conversation and parting with a long, heartfelt hug, Link and the car were nowhere to be found.

-o-

The next time she saw Link was in a place that she wasn’t expecting.

“– see the labels? It’s all fine. I don’t know what the townsfolk are talking about,” Mipha was saying quietly to him as Zelda walked into her shop. “She’s absolutely wonderful! She’s just – different.”

Zelda knew Mipha was talking about her because who else could she be talking about? _Why_ on earth was he here? Was it for more of his so-called _investigation?_ All it did was make her nervous. It took every ounce of willpower she had to not just leave her shop and go home – it’s what Tetra was doing, anyway, under the excuse that she wasn’t feeling well. That reason could probably fly with her, too.

But no – she was here; she had a full shop, and responsibilities that she couldn’t toss aside no matter how much she wanted to. So Zelda took a breath and nodded in silent greeting as she continued to stride towards the counter, cup of coffee in hand, just as the door swung open and an older Hylian man stomped in, a paper bag clutched tightly in his fist.

“Miss Hyrule!” He barked, marching to the counter and slamming the bag down. “I want a refund – I’ve been using your product for a week, now, and nothing’s changed!”

“Now, Mister Thadd –” She started, soothing, but Thadd immediately cut her off. “No! I’ve done just what you said – put it on my head twice a day, every day for a week! And nothing! It doesn’t work! I could’ve gone to a doctor for this condition, but I -”

Zelda absently put her coffee aside, giving it a small push with her magic to keep the stir stick moving – hopefully out of sight.

“Mister Thadd –” she started again, and a rustle of movement at the edge of her vision caught her attention, making her turn her head. It was Link, standing at the counter while Mipha checked out whatever purchase he made, and his eyes were intent on the coffee cup in her hand – and the wooden stir stick, moving all on its own.

Chills spread across her skin, and Zelda kept her composure as her heart sank into her stomach. Whatever nonsense the town had been putting in his head during his ‘investigating’ had probably been confirmed just by her being too lazy to stir her coffee on her own. Goddess, she was so _stupid –_

But his eyes – when he looked back at her, he didn’t look disturbed. Only…curious. Awed. The feel of his eyes on her had its own personal weight – she could almost feel a hum in the air, an electricity, from having him so close. There was some kind of _gravity_ around him; a pull that always grabbed her attention, made her want to look at him, to get closer, to -

Zelda had to look away.

“I believe you remember my instructions incorrectly,” she said, tearing her eyes away from Link to focus on her customer. “I need you to recall –”

“No, no,” Thadd said furiously, “I remember the instructions _exactly,_ and you _said_ –”

“Mister Thadd.” Zelda _really_ didn’t want to embarrass him and air his business in front of these people, so she earnestly leaned forward. “Try,” she urged him. “Try to remember.”

He squinted at her, obviously thinking hard, and Zelda stared back, imploring, hoping it would hit him on his own. Apparently it did, because his eyes widened, darting from her face to the bag in his hand, and a flush lightly spread across his face.

“I –” he sputtered, scooping up the bag. “I – yes, my mistake - pardon me –” and he jerkily turned on his heel and rushed out the door.

Zelda sighed in relief and the averted crisis, and Link blinked slowly at her, accepting the bag that Mipha handed to him. “Thanks so much!” Mipha said brightly, “and it was nice speaking with you, earlier. I do hope you come shop with us again!”

He hummed, eyes still on Zelda as he walked to the door. “I don’t think I’ve ever spent so much on hair products in my life,” he declared, and Mipha laughed lightly. “What a strange town.”

With a tinkle of bells, Link was gone, walking down the sidewalk and out of sight, but – Zelda just couldn’t let him go. His constant appearances, his _questions_ …he was making her nervous. And if it made her look suspicious, so what – she needed answers.

Zelda murmured a quick excuse, skirting around the counter and quickly following him out the door. He hadn’t gone far, thankfully, and it didn’t take much to catch up to him.

“So am I a suspect now?” She asked, trying not to sound too snappy as she wrapped her arms around herself, and Link slowed to a stop, turning to her with a raised eyebrow.

“Have you done anything suspicious?” He asked mildly, and that just annoyed her even _more_.

“Of course I haven’t!” Zelda snapped. “But you certainly have – I heard what Mipha was saying. And I’ve seen you around town, talking to people. Have you enjoyed getting your fill of gossip?”

Link was unperturbed by her ire, cocking his head to the side. “What they said to me sure was interesting,” he said, and Zelda didn’t even bother to try and hide how hard she rolled her eyes. “But I still have a few unanswered questions.”

“Then you can just ask me instead of skulking about in town!”

Link smiled at her, and it irritated her and made her heart jump in equal measure. “But I already have – and all I’ve learned is that your answer was a little off.”

Zelda’s hands trembled, and she was grateful the man couldn’t see them, tucked away as they were. She ignored the growing pit of anxiety in her gut and stared at him, setting her jaw; she wouldn’t give in and look away first. The air grew tense, between them, and Zelda finally felt like she could breathe when Link tore his eyes away, staring out to the sea beyond.

“Look,” he murmured, “I wanna talk to you a little more, about this. But have a little more work to do, first – is it possible I could come by tomorrow, maybe?”

He looked earnest about it, eyes clear and honest, and Zelda pursed her lips, thinking about it.

“…Fine,” she decided shortly. “But not tomorrow. I must pick up my daughters. Come by Monday – I don’t work.”

“Okay,” Link agreed, amused, and that – that was _so_ irritating. “Ten in the morning alright?”

“It’s fine.”

“Okay.” His smile turned crooked, morphing into something mischievous. “It’s a date.”

Heat spread from her collarbones to the tips of her ears, and Zelda could only sputter after him as he turned on his heel and continued his merry way down the street.

“He –” she stuttered to empty air. “He just – I can’t believe he – the _gall_ , I –”

Zelda pressed the backs of her hands to her cheeks, that _stupid_ crooked smile flashing through her mind, and felt like a girl all over again as she went back to her shop, scowling all the while.

-o-

The rest of her weekend passed in the blink of an eye, the only bright spot being the renewed brightness in her daughters when they returned home. The weekend away from the house worked wonders, as well as Zelda had hoped, and she was grateful for Naomi. She’d waved away her thanks with an easy hand. “It’s nothing, Zelda,” she’d said. “We’re family, always – it’s not a trial, to see my grandbabies.”

But now it was Monday – a new week. And with Link arriving any minute, everyone in the house was…antsy.

Tetra was upset, when Zelda had told her that Link would be coming by for more questions, and it dissolved into a short argument. But what on earth could she do? She couldn’t refuse; Link was already suspicious, didn’t believe their story as well as she hoped – why make herself look worse?

But aside from that…it felt like she was _up_ to something. Her and the girls. She could hear footsteps running back and forth on the ground floor, an unintelligible yell bursting from Adelaide or Talia now and then. Zelda didn’t pay too much mind to it; they had gotten their energy back, after visiting Naomi, and were probably back to normal noisemaking levels.

Besides, Zelda had much more pressing issues to worry about right now –

Trying to decide on what to wear.

She didn’t want to seem like she was trying too hard, or trying to _impress_ ; she waffled on it, trying on dresses and skirts and feeling like a fool each time.

“What do you think, Naydra?” She asked her old cat, emerged from one of her many hiding spots in the house and curled up on her bed. “Am I overthinking this? I shouldn’t do too much, should I?”

The cat opened one piercing ice blue eye and stared at her in judgement, and Zelda nodded, turning back to her reflection. “You’re right – this is too much. I should just dress like I normally do – and besides, it’s not a _date_.”

 _He said that just to tease, anyway,_ she reminded herself, shrugging out of her dress. _Don’t be ridiculous._

Brought back to her senses, Zelda pulled on the usual jean shorts and tank top, snagging a cardigan and putting it on as she left the room, leaving her old cat to her nap. As she came down the stairs, she heard a faint knocking, and saw Talia run for the door, swinging it open to Link standing on the porch, hands tucked into the pockets of his jeans.

“Hi!” Talia said shyly, hiding slightly behind the door. “Did you come for breakfast? You did, right?”

“Ah…” Link scratched at his head, smiling at Talia as he entered the house, letting the girl shut the door behind him. “I just came to talk to your mom. Is she here?”

“Yes! She’s gonna have breakfast too! We're gonna do pancakes!”

Bemused, Zelda stepped onto the ground floor, and Link’s eyes snapped onto her right away, though his attention was soon taken back by her daughter.

“Mister Forester?”

“Yes, little Hyrule?”

“Do you have a gun? Since you’re a det-detective?”

Talia struggled with the word for a moment, but she got there in the end, eyes bright and wide and so curious. Link’s eyebrow raised somewhat, his gaze continuously darting over to her, and he hummed, nodding. “Yes, I do.”

“Can I see it?”

Now both eyebrows were raised, and he blinked down at her, startled. “Mmm…” he closed his eyes, pretending to think about it. “Definitely not. But I can show you pictures of some horses near the house I grew up in instead.”

Just as intended, Talia’s focus latched onto that instead, and she nodded rapidly. “Yes! Yes, I wanna see!!”

“Talia,” Zelda called out, pulling her daughter’s attention her way and watching her brighten up.

“Mommy! He’s gonna stay for breakfast!”

“That’s wonderful! Mister Forester can show you the horses later, alright? We have to talk, first. Go on, go with your sister.”

Talia ran off without much fuss, and soon it was just her and Link, alone in the foyer. He stared up at her with an unreadable look in his eyes, his expression almost soft as he gave her a smile. “I’ve just got a few questions,” he said quietly, and Zelda couldn’t help but give him a small smile in return.

“Alright.”

She led him to the kitchen, and he wandered off while her back was turned, momentarily distracted by pulling down the dishes they would need for breakfast – since Talia wanted pancakes so badly.

Zelda found Link in the attached greenhouse once again, picking up the little glass bottle that was resting on the counter and staring at it, pensive.

“That’s belladonna,” she said to announce her presence, entering the greenhouse. She folded her arms across her chest when he turned to her, curious. “It’s a sedative – you can put it in tea if you need to relax, or have trouble sleeping.”

“Some people also use belladonna as a poison.” Link noted mildly, and Zelda couldn’t help but huff out a laugh. _Here we are again._

“Oh? Which people do that?”

“Hmm…” Link’s eyes were hooded as he stared her down, and it made Zelda feel like he could see right through her, down to the bone. “Witch people.”

A laugh burst out of her. “Witch people!”

“Yes. Witches.”

A few more giggles spilled past her lips before Zelda sighed, smiling lightly at him. “I guess you figured me out, did you?”

“I did.”

“Mm.” She walked a little closer to Link, circling around him, and he kept his eyes trained on her. “I’m sure the town told you all about it. You should come ‘round on Halloween, you’ll definitely get your fill of witch people then. We all jump off the roof and fly.” Her tone stayed light, but her eyes were hard. “We kill our husbands, too – but I suppose that’s too above your paygrade, isn’t it?”

Link was the one that broke eye contact first, closing his eyes and laughing lightly. “Zelda – do you understand how odd all of this is? People in town were saying you do all kinds of weird things, cooking up placenta bars and worshiping a demon –”

“A _demon?_ ” Zelda reeled back, “I – no! There is no _demon_ involved in my craft, I –”

She cut herself off and turned away, biting her lip, and seethed at his words, at the rumors – the _lies_ the town filled his head with.

“So…what craft _do_ you do?”

Zelda turned back to him, slowly, and saw Link calmly looking at her, waiting for an answer. His eyes were open, unguarded – as clear and wide as the sky on a perfect day.

She sighed, quiet. “What do I do? Well – I…I make bath oils. And soaps, and lotions, and poultices. My aunts, when they’re here – they meddle in people’s love lives.” She rolled her eyes in a moment of fondness, and in remembering them her heart ached at their absence.

“Magic isn’t just –” she shook her head, moving a little closer into Link’s space. “It’s not all spells and potions, you know. Like – your badge. Here –”

Filled with a sudden boldness, Zelda reached out and slipped a hand into the blazer Link was wearing, grabbing the badge she knew was there. He had frozen slightly, at her touch, and his eyes were a little wide when she peeked through her lashes at him.

She could feel the magic in the badge, humming against her skin as she ran a thumb over the slightly warmed metal. “See,” she murmured, holding it up, “it’s only a shield – nothing special. But to you, it’s a symbol – a talisman. It contains magic because you believe it does – I can feel it.”

Zelda pressed the badge back into his hand with a little smile and turned back towards the kitchen. “I wish you could believe in me.”

It felt…oddly freeing, knowing that Link was looking at her and _seeing_ her, knowing the entirety of what she was and not judging her for her blood. But that feeling could only go so far, knowing that he was looking at her and still seeing a suspect. And it was wretched, to ask that of him when she wasn’t being entirely true, but…Zelda wanted it so _badly_ , his belief in her. There was something about him – something steadfast and trustworthy, that made Zelda feel that if she took the chance and told him the truth – the whole sorry, messy truth – that he would…believe her. Defend her.

She just wished it was something that could be.

“Zelda,” Link called out, following her, and she turned back to him. “Are you hiding him? Groose?”

“Not in this house.” And technically, that was true.

“Did either you or your sister kill him?”

Zelda could hear clattering in the kitchen, and she scoffed, turning her back to him before her eyes gave her away. “Once or twice,” she said, teasing, and retreated to the kitchen before he could question her more.

In the kitchen, Talia was doing her best to make an absolute mess of the place, her round cheeks dusted with flour.

“Talia!” Zelda cried out, exasperated. “You really are an expert at making messes, aren’t you?”

“Mommy, I wanted to get started on the pancakes!” She protested, squirming as Zelda wiped the mess off her face.

“And I’m sure you’re trying your best, but at least wait until an adult is around to help you, alright? Now, I need to set the table – go get Auntie Tetra to help you.”

“But –” Talia began to protest, but Zelda was already turning away, grabbing the plates she’d pulled from the cupboard with a sigh.

“Hey, little Hyrule.”

Zelda watched from the corner of her eye as Link removed his blazer and rolled up his sleeves, sidling next to Talia by the counter. “What kind of pancakes do you want?”

“Mmm…blueberry?”

“Blueberry it is. Hand me some eggs?”

It warmed Zelda all over, how quickly Talia opened up to Link – how kind he was, to her daughter. She smiled a little, gathering cutlery and napkins, as Talia cried out, “how’d you do that without making a mess?”

“I’m right _and_ left-handed,” Link said. “I guess you could say it’s pretty _handy_ , sometimes.”

Zelda groaned loudly at what was a _truly_ terrible pun, taking the dishes outside and leaving Link with her giggling daughter so that he wouldn’t see the smile spreading across her face. She thought they made a pretty good team, as they got breakfast sorted, Link cooking up a storm while she set places for everyone at the sitting area outside – moved further away from the garden, for her girls’ sake. Link was setting a decent stack of pancakes at the center of the table, looking very proud of himself as Adelaide and Talia ran to the table.

“You two ready for pancakes?” He asked as they approached, and the girls beamed at him.

“Yes!” Adelaide crowed, “we want them!”

“Mister Forester, can I look at the horse pictures now?”

“Well sure, if you want –”

“Do you _own_ the horses?”

“Well,” he hedged, “no…our yard was very big and they just…showed up. But they liked me so much, some of them stuck around. My mother says I have a weird talent, taming horses – calls me a horse whisperer.”

The girls looked extremely enthused at that, as Zelda quickly herded them to their seats, tucking napkins into their collars. “Alright, little ladies, let’s get ready for breakfast, now – hey, don’t, that’s not yours!”

Zelda plucked the badge Talia was holding up out of her hand, missing the way that her and Adelaide’s eyes shined with awe as they stared at each other.

“And you –”

Link went wide eyed at her approach but didn’t protest as she tucked a napkin into his collar, too. “I have a feeling you’re as much of a messy eater as my daughters,” she said wryly, and the smile he gave her was only a little sheepish as he sat down.

Tetra was heading towards them as Zelda was sitting down, a wide smile on her face as she carried a jug of syrup. “Good morning!” She said brightly as she sat down, “good to see you again Link – this all looks so wonderful! She tilted her head and smiled, the shades she was wearing slipping down her nose and showing her eyes, ringed with dark circles, “I hope you enjoy the syrup with the pancakes – I made it myself!”

Tetra extended the jug, and Link had started to reach out for it before both Adelaide and Talia thrust their hands out. “No!” Adelaide cried, wide eyed, “nonono! You don’t want that, it’s gross! Gimme –”

Zelda gaped at her daughter as she snatched the syrup out of Tetra’s hand, and Talia was soon on her heels as they began to sprint towards the sea. Tetra’s mouth fell open in shock as she stared at her empty hand, before she jumped to her feet and bolted after the girls. “Hey!!” She yelled, “that’s really rude, you know!”

But the girls didn’t care, laughing as they darted over the rocks to the churning ocean below. “Throw it, throw it!” Talia cried out, and she cheered as Adelaide threw the jug as hard as she could, sending the syrup flying into the ocean.

Zelda had _no idea_ what had gotten into her girls, but she was laughing breathlessly as she stood on the lawn with Link, watching the scene unfold with bemused smiles.

“I guess she didn’t want to use the syrup!” Zelda laughed as the three of them slowly returned, “honestly, my sister’s syrup isn’t _that_ terrible, I think –”

A croaking noise filled the air, so loud that it startled her into silence. The croaking noise filled the air once more, and Zelda looked around, trying to find the source.

There was something…familiar about it; the longer the noise went on, the more Zelda’s hackles raised, chills running down her back.

Eventually she found it – a large, fat toad, sitting on a log a few paces away, and Zelda crept towards it cautiously, Link following her a few paces behind. On the log the toad croaked, again and again, and the noise sounded off – like there was something in its throat. With a large, hacking croak, it spat something onto the log, and Zelda leaned in to inspect it.

It was a necklace – gold and covered in slime, with a red ruby in the center.

Zelda stared at it, confused at where this could’ve come from, and said nothing as Link reached out with a handkerchief and scooped it up, his eyes narrowing dangerously as he looked at the necklace.

_What -?_

A choked gasp snatched her attention away, and Zelda whirled around to look at Tetra, who had gone pale as she saw the necklace in Link’s hand.

Tetra’s reaction could only mean one thing about who that necklace belonged to, and Zelda’s heart sank so quickly that she felt lightheaded.

“Oh -!” Tetra started, shaky. “That’s – that’s my necklace! I lost that ages ago, how did a toad -?”

Tetra’s lie crumbled to pieces as Link’s eyes landed on her, and when he turned to Zelda, she was frozen at how hard his expression had become, eyes icy.

They blew it – _she_ blew it; she’d gotten so caught up in how nice it felt, how weirdly _normal_ it was, to have Link at their table, that Zelda had forgotten the man haunting their lives – and the entire reason Link was here in the first place.

“I don’t know what kind of game you two are playing,” he said lowly, “but I know that you two had better find a damn good lawyer.”

Link gave her and Tetra one last glare, the anger in it cutting Zelda to the quick, before turning sharply and striding off.

Guilt rose up in her, so strong she felt sick from it, and Zelda buried her face in her hands, reeling.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> lmao I thought I'd have this shit wrapped up in three chapters, but it's looking like it's going to be four. here's hoping I can make my deadline and have this wrapped up before halloween.
> 
> but hey! link is finally in the game! yay!
> 
> and! [I've made a playlist too 'cause why not.](https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5bZsWkVplSL5KM0bFwozBU?si=izjQCiyXQpGWDUWnvAkv0g) I'll probably add more to it - 8 to 10 songs is usually my playlist limit - but just like the one I did for let's make an oath, you do not have to listen to it as you read! it's just for the vibes.
> 
> cool. I'm done rambling, haha. comments and kudos are appreciated! thank you all for reading, so far.
> 
> have a good weekend! until next timeee! :)


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> LAAAAAAST CHAPTER.
> 
> I was hoping to have this out earlier today but I got distracted and just finished movie night with the homies on discord. thought about waiting 'till morning but. this is a lot of words. longer than the last chapter! so don't read this now, just wait until the morning okay!

Breakfast was essentially ruined at that point, so Zelda brought the girls inside, barely hearing their protests as she woodenly told them to go upstairs. She slipped in and out of focus as she jerkily threw the pancakes in the trash, and when she finally tuned back in, her sister was talking.

“We’ll just stick to what we said before,” Tetra was saying, her hands trembling violently. “We haven’t seen him since – and besides, no body, no crime. He can’t prove anything, he can’t – we –”

Her elbow knocked into the fruit bowl on the counter, and the sound of it crashing to the floor was unbearably loud, rattling in Zelda’s skull.

“Oh, Goddess – I’m sorry, Zel, I –”

Tetra crouched down to sweep up the glass, “I’ve been sleeping like shit, I’m so sorry. I haven’t felt well, the past week or so, it – I –”

Zelda could only watch Tetra’s shaky attempts to sweep all the glass together. A feeling was slowly bubbling up in her, cracking past the hard, numb shell that surrounded her heart. Before she could give herself a chance to think, she was speaking.

“ _You’re_ sleeping terribly?” She repeated, incredulous. “Is that all you can focus on?? _You??_ Tet, I have had nightmares almost every night. My daughters are so scared of the garden they won’t even go out to play!! But all you can talk about is _you??_ ”

She could recognize the feeling rising in her, now – rage. Zelda was _furious_. She could understand her sister’s worry, the threat of losing their freedom more real than ever. But to hear her sister talk, as though what they had done to Groose – what _Zelda_ had done to Groose – wasn’t affecting the entire family…?

Tetra had stopped trying to sweep up the glass and was looking at Zelda as she stood from her crouch, wide eyed. “Zel,” she said slowly, “I don’t want to fight.” She ran a hand through her hair, looking tired as she began to head towards the stairs, and Zelda saw red.

“You don’t get to walk away from me, Tet!” She ground out, “I’ve been trying – I’ve been trying so hard, but I am _tired_ of trying to clean up this mess you made!!”

Tetra froze, one foot on the steps, and when she whirled around to face Zelda, there was a fire in her eyes she hadn’t seen in weeks. “Yeah,” she said, rough, “yeah, that’s all I am – just one big mess. But at least I’m a mess that’s _lived a little._ Look at you, huh? What have _you_ done? I’ve lived my life! And you hate me for it, I know you do –”

Zelda couldn’t believe the words coming out of her sister’s mouth. She sighed, crouching down to clean up the mess her sister left behind with a dishtowel. “Tetra,” she said slowly, suddenly so tired, “I don’t hate you at all -”

But Tetra was on a roll. “Don’t lie to me! I’ve seen how you act! You’ve been trying to pretend for _years!_ Acting, giving your all to try and fit in and be normal – but we’re _never_ going to be normal! We’re _Hyrule women!!_ We’re _different_ , and so are your daughters –”

“Do _not_ bring them into this,” Zelda cuts in, her voice low – dangerous.

“No, you – you keep trying to stifle them, to push their gifts down and away, just like yours, and – it’s a _waste!!_ You’re wasting their talents _and_ yours, Zel!!”

The rage in her chest boiled up, spilled over, and Zelda snapped, throwing the wrapped up broken glass she was holding into the sink. “Well if that’s such a _problem_ for you, then you can just _leave!!_ ” She screamed, “get out, and go back to living the messed up life you’ve always wanted, and you can take the man that’s haunting us with you!!”

Tetra reeled back at the volume of her voice, and for a second, hurt shone in her eyes. But it was gone in a blink, and her eyes hardened as she tossed her hair out of her face. “Fine,” she said blithely, “I’m gone.”

“Good.” Zelda said shortly, and she turned away to head for the door.

“What are you -?”

“You think I can’t be true to myself?” Zelda snapped, “then fine – watch this, then.”

It must have sunk in, then, what Zelda was about to do, because Tetra’s already sickly complexion paled even further. “No!!” She gasped, “no, no, Zel, you _can’t_ –”

“ _You can’t say all that to me and then tell me what I can and can’t do!_ ”

There was a surge of magic in her voice, and it sent the windows rattling. Tetra’s mouth snapped shut at her outburst, and Zelda glowered at her, stomping towards the door. “What we’ve been doing was _wrong_ ,” she stressed. “And I’m tired of lying about it. I don’t want to lie to him anymore. I _can’t_ lie to him anymore!! I’m going to make this right!!”

Tetra stumbled forward, ashen, reaching out to her with a free hand as she wrapped an arm around her middle, but Zelda wouldn’t let her sister stop her as she strode out the door, letting it slam so hard in her wake she thought she heard glass breaking.

As soon as she was outside, Zelda broke into a sprint, running past the garden and down the path away from the house.

She knew that Link couldn’t have gotten too far – he should be in town, at least. Zelda could catch him. She knew she could.

Sure enough, as she ran into town, she saw him, striding towards the inn, the set of his shoulders hard and angry. His pace slowed somewhat as she got closer – as though Link knew that it was her, like he _felt_ it – and she skid to a halt, trying to catch her breath.

“That –” she gasped, “that necklace wasn’t my sister’s. Though I’m sure you – you already knew that –”

“Don’t,” he cut her off, voice short. “Don’t talk to me, Miss Hyrule – I’m serious. Not without a lawyer.”

It stung, to hear him call her something so formal, but she pushed past it – it didn’t matter. He had every right to be angry with her – and that’s why she was here, anyway. To fix it. “I don’t want a lawyer.”

Link’s shoulders stiffened at the declaration, and he slowly turned around, eyes narrowed as they roved across her face. But Zelda was serious – she was ready to tell the truth, to face whatever consequences that were destined to come.

He must have believed that she was serious because he jerked his chin in a gesture to follow him. “Come on, then,” he muttered, and she was quickly at his heels as Link led her to the inn he was staying. He quickly unlocked the door, holding it open and letting her enter the room first.

It was a small and cozy room, and Zelda noticed that the bed was littered with documents and photos – pictures, she realized with a chill, of Nat’s body, as it was found at the crime scene. One of the other things that caught her eye was her _letter_ , laying among the documents. It looked worn and wrinkled, like it had been read multiple times, and she stared at it, curious. Link saw what she was looking at, and he quickly tossed his blazer aside and scooped up the photos, stacking them in a small pile and sliding them into a manila folder. “Sorry,” he murmured, “wasn’t expecting company so – there’s a mess. Go ahead and sit down. I’ll be with you in a moment.”

Zelda stiffly took a seat at the small, circular table that sat near the window, watching Link with a wary eye as he puttered around the room. She barely listened as he grabbed a tape recorder, taking a seat as he rattled off her name, the location, and the date.

“Alright, Miss Hyrule,” Link says, placing the tape recorder between them on the table. “Do you know the current whereabouts of Groose?”

“I’m quite certain that he’s in the spiritual realm.” She answers frankly, and she looks down at her hands when Link frowns at her.

“So you believe that Groose is dead?”

“No – I believe he’s haunting us.”

Certainly, Groose was dead in a sense – but his spirit…he wouldn’t move on. He wouldn’t let go.

“I have my own question.”

“Miss Hyrule –”

“Zelda,” she cut off, reaching out to snatch up her letter still lying on his bed. “Just call me Zelda. Like before.”

She didn’t want to be known as just a Hyrule woman; Zelda wanted him to speak to her just as he had before. Like they were on the same page.

The paper was soft in her hands, when she pulled the letter out of its envelope – worn, like it had been held more times than she could count. “How many times did you read my letter?” She asked, brushing her fingertips against the paper, and Link pressed his lips into a thin line.

“…A few.” He finally answered, averting his eyes – and Zelda knew that he was lying. “I have to study all evidence that I find in cases. Now –”

“But what evidence could you get from my letter?” She didn’t mean to push, but she just couldn’t leave it alone. It didn’t make sense. Link’s answers certainly weren’t helping, and Zelda hated leaving things unanswered.

But Link wouldn’t answer, a wall coming up as his expression tightened. He leaned towards her, the air tense around them, and Zelda felt like the space around that little table was smaller than ever. “Did you,” he said slowly, “or your sister kill Mister Groose?”

Zelda knew she wasn’t going to get an answer about her letter, and she sighed through her nose. Careful, she folded her letter back up, tucking it into the envelope and letting Link wait for her answer. “Tetra didn’t kill anyone,” she finally said.

“Tetra didn’t kill anyone,” he repeated, musing. “Tetra didn’t…but you did?”

Zelda couldn’t look at him. She didn’t want to see the look on his face, to find out if it would be a confirmation of her worst fears. Anger. Disgust. She didn’t want to see that in people’s eyes anymore – but she definitely didn’t want to see it in _his_.

“Zelda,” he said, quiet, and the tone of his voice urged her to pick up her head, to look at him – but she couldn’t. “Zelda, did you? Did you kill him?”

She clenched and unclenched her hands in her lap, over and over, and suddenly she just – couldn’t sit there. She couldn’t be there anymore.

Zelda jolted to her feet and crossed her arms over her chest as she walked to the other side of the room, trying to get some distance between them. Somehow, she gathered the courage to finally look at him, and pressed her back against the wall, feeling trapped. “What if I did?” She asked, frantic. “What if I did kill him? What would you do?”

Link looked at her like he didn’t know what to say, and Zelda could feel the traitorous burn of tears in her eyes. “What would you do?!” She asked of him, demanded of him. “Would you send me to jail, tear me away from my daughters – for what? Because I had to take matters into my own hands??”

“…It wasn’t your call to make,” he said, and Zelda dug her nails into her palms. “How Groose should be punished – that wasn’t something either of us could decide.”

“Well I didn’t have a _choice!!”_

Groose’s hand, tightening around Tetra’s throat. Her sister’s terrified face –

“If I didn’t do what I did –” her breath caught in her chest. “If – If I –”

“Zelda.”

She didn’t hear Link rise from his seat, but she looked up at the click of a tape recorder and found him standing before her, just an arm’s reach away. He sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose. “You need to talk to a lawyer,” he murmured, “get their advice first, because we can’t go any further with this until you do.”

He tossed the tape recorder aside, and Zelda looked down at her feet, brushing her windswept hair out of her face.

“Hey.” He reached out, lightly touching her arm, and Zelda felt the hair on her arms rise at the barely-there sensation of his fingertips against her skin. Setting her jaw, she steeled herself, looking up to see if Link had placed the same judgement on her as everyone else –

And his eyes…they were the same as ever.

Earnest. Open. Not a hint of judgement to be found. He was just staring at her, his gaze kind and steady, and Zelda had that _feeling_ again – of _knowing_ , of being seen for who she was, good and bad.

“I know that you’re in trouble – a trouble that I don’t entirely understand,” he began. “But…if you could work with me – _trust_ me, and tell me everything you know, then…then I _promise_ you, that I will do everything I am able to keep you safe. To keep you with your girls. I swear I will, Zelda.”

And – he _meant it._ Zelda could feel it – the air around them practically shimmered, with the weight of his promise, and promises always held their own type of magic. She…she didn’t know what to do with that. It made her heart ache, the determined light in his eyes. Zelda couldn’t find the words, to tell Link how much his words meant to her – that she _did_ trust him already, because that’s why she was here, wasn’t it? Because…because she trusted him. Because somehow, she knew bone deep that Link was kind. Kind, and just, and would always do everything he could to do the right thing.

She didn’t realize she wanted to touch him until she was already doing it, reaching out to cup his cheek in her hand, and Zelda watched his eyes widen at her touch. He was so _warm_ ; Link always exuded heat whenever she got into his space, and his skin felt like he soaked up a fraction of warmth from the sun and radiated it. He moved slowly, like he was afraid Zelda would get spooked and run away, pulling his hand away from her arm to place it over the hand she placed on his cheek.

It was so _distracting_ , how blue his eyes were; Zelda has caught herself wondering, some days, trying to find the perfect descriptor for the shade of his eyes. Impossibly, perfectly blue.

How long have they been standing here, staring at each other? It feels like hours. There was a heavy tension in the air – the feeling that _something_ was about to happen – and it only felt right for Zelda to brush her thumb across his cheekbone, light as air, and rock forward onto the balls of her feet.

Link meets her halfway.

It hits her, as Zelda is pressed into the wall, just how long it’s been since she’s been kissed, and it was only sheer willpower keeping her knees from giving out. Link must have known, though – _somehow_ – because he drags his hands over her shoulders, down her sides and over her hips before hooking his hands behind her knees and lifting her up, holding her like it was nothing, and Zelda felt like she was going to burst into flames.

She was a little taller than him now, with the way he held her up, but Zelda would make it work, tangling her fingers in his hair and holding on _tight_ , tilting his face up towards hers and relishing the scattered moan that spread across her tongue.

It didn’t make sense. It made all the sense in the world. It felt like every moment since she met him in her garden was meant to lead up to this moment.

This moment, here. Where he was questioning her for murder.

Reality crashed over her, colder than anything she ever felt, and Zelda yanked her mouth away from his, trying to catch her breath. “I can’t,” she gasped, pressing her forehead against his, “it doesn’t – it doesn’t make _sense_ , I can’t, I –”

“Sorry,” Link breathed, and the feeling of his nose brushing against hers made her hair stand on end. “I’m sorry, I –”

His lips brushed against hers as they tried to catch their breath – just the slightest touch – but it lit Zelda up all over again, and she had the collar of his shirt in her fist and his mouth back on hers before she could second guess herself.

It was the kind of kiss that was easy to get lost in, that had you so swept up it didn’t give you time to think. Zelda didn’t even notice they were moving until she felt the soft fabric of blankets against her back, Link lowering her down onto the bed. She tugged at his shirt, fingers blindly searching as she scratched at the buttons, trying to pull them open – and her brain ground to a halt as Link pulled her cardigan out of the way to press a line of heated kisses down the line of her neck to her shoulder.

Her breath burst out of her chest in stuttered gasps, everything suddenly _too much_ after so long without, and she blindly shoved her hand into the opening she was able to achieve before getting distracted, wanting to just feel _skin_ –

And she came in contact with rough scar tissue instead.

It startled her so badly that Zelda jerked back with a gasp, and Link quickly pushed himself up onto an elbow to stare at her, concerned. “What -?”

“You got hurt?” She demanded, still feeling out where the rough texture of the scar ended and soft skin began. “How?? When did you -?”

“Zelda.”

Just the way he said her name made her fall quiet, and she watched Link deftly undo two more buttons on his shirt before pulling it aside, letting Zelda see the scar in its entirety, a starburst of scarred over skin on his left pectoral, so close to his heart.

“It was one of my first jobs,” he explained. “We were investigating a gang in the Gerudo province – the Yiga. We got caught in a fight that went – pretty badly, for me.”

Zelda felt a slight chill at the implications of that – Link, wounded so badly that it left a scar this severe.

“They thought I wouldn’t make it,” he continued. “The wounds were too serious – I should’ve died. But…somehow, I came back. It shouldn’t have been possible, but -”

A memory rose up in her, long forgotten after so many years. The feeling of flower petals between her fingers, the scent of flowers in the air and Tetra on her heels as she worked through the greenhouse -

_He will always return to me, no matter how impossible._

Zelda felt like she couldn’t breathe.

It was impossible. She crafted that spell because she was so certain that the man she created would never exist. And yet –

Here he was. Right under her hands.

Her hands were shaking, but Zelda cupped his face in her hands all the same, looking over him like she’d never seen him before while Link blinked at her, confused. “Hair the color of wheat, ready for harvest,” she murmured, remembering what she said so long ago. “And eyes as blue as the skies on an impossibly perfect day.”

It was ridiculous. It never should’ve found him.

“I –” Zelda suddenly realized where she was, what she was _doing_. “I can’t, I really – I can’t! I have to go, I –”

“Zelda, what –?”

She shook her head, quickly pulling her clothes back in order. “I’m sorry,” she whispered shortly. “I just need to go, I –”

Her mouth clamped shut, and she exhaled roughly before leaving the room as fast as she could, breaking into a run and leaving the inn behind.

-o-

It was hard to pin down the whirl of feelings in her chest.

Zelda paid no mind to her surroundings as she began to walk, needing to go – anywhere. Somewhere she could _think_. Because that was not how she was expecting telling the truth to Link to go. Even now her skin tingled from the kisses he pressed against her skin, from his hands on her, and she didn’t know what to _do_ with that.

What _could_ she do?

Zelda had never wanted to be subject to magic like this ever again, and this time, she had no one to blame but herself, because this was a web of her own making.

What could she do? What does it _matter_ , in the end, when there’s a curse hanging over her head? She barely recovered from losing Shion – could she risk it, attempting to open her heart to someone else? Could she bear to go through that again?

 _No_ , a terrified part of her whispered. _No, I can’t._

Zelda stopped her aimless walking and realized that her steps had taken her out to the docks. She stared out at the sea that stretched endlessly before her, the warm ocean air blowing across her face and felt lost.

A man she thought she made up. A man she thought would never, ever exist, in an attempt to protect her heart. And he answers her impossible call and finds her anyway. It would be funny if she didn’t feel like crying.

_Zelda –_

Zelda startled at the sound of her name and looked around, wondering who could possibly be calling her. But she was alone, no one nearby on the docks but her, and Zelda was about to ignore it before it came again.

_Zelda…help me –_

It was faint, a whisper on the wind, but Zelda’s heart clenched in her chest when she recognized the voice.

Tetra.

_Zelda…_

_Mommy!!_

Zelda was running before she could think, because twined with her sister’s faint calls for help were the sobs of her _children._

She felt like she was flying as she sprinted to her home, pushing herself beyond her limits because something was wrong. Something was wrong, and Tetra was calling for her and _her daughters were crying._

Zelda burst in through the front door, lungs feeling like they were about to burst, and raced up the stairs. Her daughters met her halfway, faces blotchy red and tears pouring down their faces. “Mommy,” Adelaide sobbed, and Talia clutched at her, weeping so hard she couldn’t even talk. “Mommy, something’s wrong with Auntie Tetra, something’s _wrong_ –”

Adelaide was right – there was something wrong, Zelda could feel it. There was a chill in the air, unnatural, and it sent her hair rising.

“Okay,” she breathed, trying to put on a brave face as she cupped her children’s faces. “It’s okay, sweetheart – mommy’s going to take care of it. Okay? Don’t worry. Go outside, alright, so you don’t get hurt.”

Zelda didn’t move until she heard them go down the stairs and out the front door, and once the girls were out, she took a deep breath and continued up the stairs.

She found Tetra in their room.

She was in her bed, back arched in a harsh curve; it looked like something was pulling her up, trying to come _out_ of her, and the gasps Tetra let out sounded like all the air was being sucked out of her.

“Tetra!” Zelda called out, petrified. “Tet –”

“Zelda!”

Zelda felt like she was ready to cry at the sound of Link’s voice, his hand warm on her shoulder as he quickly pulled her behind him, the gun he had on his belt already out as his eyes darted around the room, looking for a threat.

“Link,” she whispered, grabbing fistfuls of his shirt. “Link, it’s Tetra, she –”

Her sister let out one last rattling gasp, bending so harshly it almost looked like she was floating off the bed. There was a shadow hovering over her skin, and as she flopped back onto the bed, eyes unfocused as she panted loudly, the shadows coalesced into a man.

Zelda could hardly breathe as she watched the specter of Groose stretch his arms overhead, sighing in content as he looked around the room with glowing yellow eyes. His skin was a washed out, murky grey, and his hair hung shaggy around his head, some parts matted and clumped together with blood.

When his eyes landed on them, pressed close in the doorway, Link’s gun trained steadily on him, Groose’s mouth spread into a wide, unnatural smile, too big for his face.

“Officer…Forester…” His voice was a low croak, and Groose slowly rose to his feet, leaving Tetra lying on the bed.

She had to get to her.

Giving Link’s shoulder a squeeze, Zelda slipped away from him, keeping close to the wall as she began to edge towards her sister. She could feel Groose’s eyes on her as she slowly made her way around the room, but when she looked, Zelda saw Link blocking his path, shielding her as the two slowly circled around each other.

If Link was unsettled, he didn’t show it, his eyes hard as he continued to block the sisters from Groose’s line of sight.

Zelda reached out, eyes still on Groose, and knelt by Tetra’s bedside as her hand wrapped tightly around her arm, pulling her close.

“What’s wrong?” Groose asked, “can’t speak? Don’t you know? You’re protecting a pair of murderers.”

Link’s jaw shifted as he kept his silence, and Groose’s face twisted into something ugly – inhuman- before he moved faster than Zelda could see and shoved his hand into Link’s chest, right where she knew his scar was.

He let out a ragged scream and fell to his knees, and Zelda rose up with a cry, unable to do anything but hold onto her sister. She watched with horror as Link’s gold complexion turned bone white, his eyes looking unnaturally blue in contrast as he glared up at Groose, baring his teeth.

A loud hiss filled the air, and Groose jerked his hand out of Link’s chest and stumbled back with a yell, grasping at his wrist as though he’d been burned. Link stumbled forward, landing hard on his hands and knees, his chest heaving as his badge tumbled out of his blazer and onto the floor.

From the distance, Zelda could see a deep burn etched into Groose’s palm – the shield shape of Link’s badge. Zelda almost wanted to smile.

Groose rapidly shook his hand baring muddy, blood stained teeth, but before he could take another step closer, Link snatched up his badge and held it aloft, and Groose took a stumbling step back before vanishing into wisps of smoke.

The only sound that filled the room was their shaky breaths, and Link turned to look at Zelda with wide eyes, the color slowly returning to his skin. “Can I get in on what the hell just happened here?”

Tetra slowly curled up onto her side, huddling in Zelda’s arms, and she couldn’t do anything but hold her sister close, hoping that now it was truly over.

-o-

Zelda brought Link out to the garden, and as soon as he sat down she was pacing, walking back and forth and pressing her thumb against her lips.

“Zelda, what _was_ that?” Link finally asked, “I wasn’t seeing things – that was _Groose_. Is he actually gone, or what?”

“He’s gone _now_ ,” she answered, running rough hands down her face. “You vanquished the spirit – but I was the one that took his life. This is all my fault. I – I’ll tell you everything, whatever you need to know. I can tell you the day it happened. I can tell you how I did it, and where I buried him, and the weapon I used, I –”

“Hold on. Hold on a second –”

“I’ll tell you how –”

“Hold on a second!” Link snapped, and once again Zelda didn’t see him move, because suddenly he was _there_ , hands tight on her shoulders to make her stop pacing.

Zelda didn’t know what her face was doing, but she must have made a pitiful enough sight to make Link let her go, sighing loudly as he pulled his hands through his hair, messing it up even more.

“Look,” he said roughly, “I took an oath, you know? An oath to uphold the law as best as I can. My job – I came here because I was sent to look for the bad guy, for the person responsible, because that’s what I’m meant to do. But you -”

He sighed as all the fight suddenly left him, and he sagged in place for a moment, looking tired.

“You asked me,” he said suddenly, “how many times I read your letter.”

Zelda blinked rapidly, thrown off by the change in subject. _What does that have to do with anything?_

“Yes…”

“The truth is…” Link laughed wryly, “the truth is, I must have read your letter a hundred times - thousands. And I could never understand why, but I get it now – out of everything that brought me here, your letter is the biggest reason. _You_ are the biggest reason. And I – I don’t really know what to do with that.”

Zelda felt like crying, and she huffed out a small laugh, wrapping her arms around her waist.

“The reason you’re here and you couldn’t understand, well…that’s because I sent for you.”

Link looked even more confused at the reasoning, and she gave him a smile that didn’t reach her eyes. “When I was just a girl,” she explained, “I was terrified of falling in love. We’re cursed, you see – any man that loves us is doomed to die. So I created a spell, to ensure that I would never fall in love, and asked for things in a man that could never exist.”

She watched his eyes widen, brightening up with recall, and Zelda could almost see it –

-o-

_“Epona,” Link laughed, pushing away the horse’s soft nose as she lipped at his hair. “Come on, I don’t have anything! We’re trying to watch the stars, come on –”_

_But Epona didn’t care about stars, headbutting her nose against Link’s chest until he gave in with a soft laugh, giving her all the pets she wanted. Of all the wild horses that came through their property, Epona was the sweetest – and his favorite. He always had an apple or carrot on hand, whenever he saw her familiar brown coat, and she would always let him ride her without trying to buck him off._

_Still petting Epona behind her ears, Link looked up at the clear sky, enjoying the way the moon shined overhead and the cool wind brushed his face._

_And then…he saw something. A small cloud, of somethings, fluttering through the sky. And then there was a shower of white, surrounding him, and when Link reached out, curious, he grasped one glowing flower petal as the rest fluttered to the ground around him and Epona – a perfect circle of flowers._

_It was so strange – he didn’t know what to think of it._

_Still rubbing the lone flower petal he caught between his fingers, Link looked back up at the sky and felt…different._

_Like he’d been called on for something._

-o-

“That was _you_ ,” he whispered, and Zelda nodded, giving him a wobbly smile. “That’s why you – about my hair and eyes? And my scar?”

“I thought you would _never_ exist,” she repeated. “But…you do. Somehow, you do.”

Link’s brows furrowed as he thought hard about it, absorbing her words. “So,” he said slowly, “you’re saying that basically – everything I feel about you…is just one of your spells?”

“Mm.” Zelda felt like the lump in her throat was choking her, but she nodded, sniffling. “It’s not real. And if – if you decide to…to stay so we could – so we could _try_ , I wouldn’t know if it was because of the spell. And you wouldn’t know if it was because I didn’t want to be arrested.”

Just finding out that her aunts pushed her to be with Shion made her doubt if her feelings for him were real for weeks. And here was Link, led along all his life by a spell she cast as a foolish, twelve-year-old girl who didn’t know better.

Link let out a quiet sigh, kicking lightly at the grass. “Well,” he muttered, “shit. What’s a relationship without a couple problems, huh?”

She laughed wetly. “But I’m right, aren’t I, Link? You don’t know, do you?”

It was ridiculously unfair, almost – a person for her, conjured up by a silly little spell, and they had to meet in the worst possible way. And even if they did…no. She couldn’t go through that again – losing a person she loves. She couldn’t bear it.

“I suppose…” Link said slowly, “that you should just…do what you have to do. And I’ll do what I have to do. And we’ll see how we end up when it’s all over. Okay?”

Now Zelda was starting to tear up because it felt like Link was about to leave. It was ridiculous, getting this upset – it was her idea. She was the one that was deciding to cut this off before it could even start. She had no right to be upset.

“Okay,” Zelda said thickly, and Link closed his eyes for a moment, pained.

“You know…curses only have so much power over you when you believe in them. And I don’t believe in curses.”

Zelda didn’t look at him, as he walked off, keeping her eyes on the grass as his footsteps moved further and further away.

“Zelda?”

She raised her head, ears twitching to silently let him know she was listening.

“I know you probably won’t believe me. But…I wished for you, too. I really did.”

The thin grasp she had on her composure snapped, and Zelda’s face crumpled as she heard Link walk away, bowing her head and digging her nails into her cardigan as her quiet sobbing filled the air.

It took her some time, to pull herself together enough to return to the house. She didn’t want to make anyone worry, but there was nothing she could do about the blotchiness of her skin, and how red her eyes were from her tears.

Swiping at her eyes, Zelda entered the house, closing the door behind her and pressing her back against the wood, tilting her head back with a quiet sigh. It was still quiet, in the house, but it didn’t feel as unsettling as before. She pushed herself off the door and headed to the kitchen, where she discovered that Tetra was waiting for her.

Her sister met her in the doorway with a smile, and Zelda immediately fell into her arms, wrapping her arms around her as she held her close. Tetra’s arms were tight around her, keeping her grounded, but when Zelda tried to pull back, Tetra refused to let go.

“Tet?” She asked, patting her back. “Can you let me go now? You’re –”

Tetra laughed, and there was an undercurrent of – something, in her voice. A croaking noise that made Zelda instantly stiffen up in her arms, terrified.

“You thought you could get rid of me?” Tetra pressed against her ear, “you thought you could make me go that easily? She’s _my_ girl.”

Zelda didn’t know where she found the strength – but she found it.

With a choked scream, she shoved Tetra away with a ferocity she didn’t know she had, making her collide with the cabinet Impa used for their spun fabrics with a loud ‘ _crack’_. Tetra tumbled to the ground, unconscious, spools of yarn scattered around her, just as Zelda heard the front door open.

“Mommy!”

“It appears that we didn’t arrive when we were meant to.”

The sound of Impa’s voice sent a wave of relief crashing over her that was so strong it made her knees weak.

“We’re getting a little rusty, aren’t we?” Purah asked brightly, kicking the door shut behind her as she herded her daughters into the house.

“Auntie,” Zelda practically sobbed. “Auntie, please help me.”

Impa’s face softened as Purah went to her side, placing a comforting hand on Zelda’s arm.

“Of course, Zelly,” Purah said. “That’s why we came back.”

-o-

“The man’s squatting inside her like a toad,” Impa said, disgusted, as she carefully wiped the blood away from the cut on Tetra’s head. “How long has this been going on?”

“I’m not sure,” Zelda fretted, curled up on the couch. “I think…maybe a couple weeks, now.”

Impa sighed as Purah sucked her teeth in disgust, and Zelda wanted to sink into the floor.

They had moved into the sitting room, tying Tetra’s unconscious body down in a chair while Zelda pressed a pillow over her face and curled up on the couch.

“What do we have to do to get rid of him?” Zelda asked, and Impa’s eyes had sharpened at her question.

“‘We’?” Impa repeated. “You plan on getting involved? You? After years of looking down your nose at our craft, at your _heritage_ –”

“Impa,” Purah cut in, a reprimand in her tone, but Zelda shook her head.

“It’s fine, Auntie – I understand. I was being – being foolish, I suppose. Pushing down my magic was just…pushing down a part of myself. And I don’t want to do that anymore.”

She met her aunt’s gaze with a set jaw, unwavering. “I want to make this right – I’m going to. Just tell me what to do, and I’ll do it.”

Impa stared hard into her eyes, searching, and when she saw that Zelda was sincere, she relaxed with a sharp nod. “We need to banish him,” she said, brushing a lock of hair out of Tetra’s face.

Purah nodded. “We have to force his spirit back into the grave.”

“We’re going to need a coven,” Impa sighs. “A full one. Around nine women –”

“But in this case, twelve would probably be better.” Purah tapped at her chin before turning to Zelda. “Do you have any friends you could call?”

For a second, Zelda was insulted, and she opened her mouth to tell Purah just how much, because of _course_ she doesn’t have many friends –

But then she remembered something, and her mouth clicked shut.

“Actually,” she said slowly, “I think I do.”

She would get to put the phone tree to use, after all.

-o-

“Traysi? Hi, it’s Zelda – I’m activating the phone tree. So do you know the rumors everyone’s been spreading for years? About how my family does hexes and spells and all that? Well – it’s all true! I’m a witch! And I need some help –”

-o-

After making many, many phone calls…all that was left to do was prepare.

Zelda cleared out the living room with her daughters, pulling down picture frames off the walls and statues from the fireplace to make room for the some of the dozens upon dozens of candles they had to set up around the room. While her daughters were carefully lighting candles under her watchful eye, Zelda felt a streak of fun in her that she hadn’t acted on in a very long time.

“Psst,” she hissed, calling for her daughters’ attention. “Would you like to see something?”

Closing her eyes, she took a deep breath and blew at the candle in front of her, and it was just as easy as she remembered, using her magic and blowing until the wick caught the spark, and flickered, fully lit. She turned to them with a little smile, and they gaped at her, awed, and immediately tried to imitate her, blowing rapidly at the candles and hoping they could do the same thing.

While they were setting up, Tetra had awakened, and Zelda knew that she wasn’t the one watching them, eyes hooded and menacing as she looked around the room.

But it was no matter. He would be gone soon, and Tetra would be herself. She’d make sure of it.

And once people started arriving, it was…odd. She expected for Mipha and Urbosa to come, of course – she felt like they were the only women in town that didn’t look down on her. But when everyone else started coming? All the women from the phone tree? That, she didn’t expect.

The house had never felt so full, before – so _lively_.

In all her life, Zelda never thought that she would be standing around in the kitchen, surrounded by women that ignored and tormented her as a child. There was a sense of camaraderie in the air as the women talked, brooms in hand as her aunts finished up the last needed preparations, a potion boiling away on the stove.

“Everything’s just about ready.” Zelda told her aunts, and she jumped in surprise when she turned to go back to the sitting room with her sister and ended up face to face with Lilia, who looked equally as shocked about being here.

“Oh! Lilia. I…I didn’t think you would come.”

Zelda stared at her as she looked down, fidgeting with the broom in her hand. “I’ve always been curious,” she said shortly. “About your house.”

And somehow, that felt like an apology.

She smiled a little. “Thank you for coming – for helping.”

“Alright, Zelly!” Purah called out, “we’re all set. Does everyone have a broom? Yes! Okay – let’s go!”

They herded everyone into the sitting room, and the jovial feeling in the air immediately vanished once they entered the space.

“Oh, my goodness,” Zelda heard someone gasp, and she bit her lip so hard it almost bled.

Tetra was lying on the floor at the center of the cleared out sitting room, arms and legs sprawled limply around her. Her skin was ashen, a light sheen of sweat coating her skin, and she whimpered in pain, eyes screwing shut as she turned to press her temple into the floor.

“Zel,” she called out weakly, and Zelda felt like she was about to throw up. “Zelda…”

“All right, everyone.” Impa said, her voice soft, but Zelda could hear the current of steel beneath. “Get into a circle. Grab your broom and hold it staff length, handle to brush.”

There was a ripple of movement in the air as everyone got into position, holding their brooms the way Impa told them to.

“Remember now –” Purah said, “we are a unit. We move as one, and our hearts must beat as one – it’s the only way that we’re going to save her. Understand?”

“Repeat after me.”

Impa began to chant in old Hylian, slow at first, so that the women in the circle could learn to pronounce it: _In the name of the Goddess Three, we bind you, we banish you, we cast you out._

One by one they repeated the chant, moving their brooms back and forth as one, and Zelda watched with trepidation as the banishment started to take effect. Tetra began to thrash back and forth, kicking her legs and rolling onto her stomach. She gnashed her teeth, and as a guttural scream ripped from her throat, Zelda’s chanting began to slow, and then stop as she stared at her sister.

Tetra’s face was screwed up with pain, and her back bowed unnaturally as she smacked her palms against the wood, crying out.

Something wasn’t right.

_Something wasn’t right._

“Stop it,” Zelda whispered, and Tetra let out another scream before another voice overtook hers. “ _Stop it!_ Stop, we’re killing her, she’s hurting, we –”

“ _Fight it!!_ ” Groose yelled, his voice guttural. “ _Fight this!! I won’t let you go! I won’t!”_

In a sudden rush of strength, Tetra rose up and rushed forward, teeth bared, and tried to lunge for her. But the barrier didn’t let her get very far.

_Stop!!_

A bright light flared, and Tetra was sent flying, the breath leaving her in a rough gasp as her back collided with the wooden floor.

Zelda let go of her broom and dropped to her knees, crawling around people’s legs to be closer to her sister. The chanting soon stopped after that, and Tetra dropped as though her strings had been cut, curling up onto her side with a wet gasp.

“Tetra! Tet, oh, Goddess, I’m sorry. I’m sorry, I’m sorry -!”

There was nothing more Zelda wanted in the world right now than to hold her sister’s hand, to hug her and reassure her – but the barrier was up. The circle couldn’t be broken. So as everyone placed their brooms on the floor the keep the barrier intact, Zelda curled up on the floor next to her sister – trying to be as close as she can.

Tetra looked drained as they stared at each other, her skin paler than ever as she tried to catch her breath. Somehow, she had the audacity to give Zelda a smile, as though they weren’t fighting for her life.

“I told you Groose was clingy.” Tetra rasped, and soon her smile vanished, her face crumpling as tears filled her eyes and quickly spilled down her cheeks.

“Zelda,” she sobbed, “Zel, I’m so _tired_. It’s okay, you know? It’s okay.”

She understood what her sister was trying to say, and her heart sank. “Tetra, no. _No._ Tet, just – stay with me –”

“Just let him take me,” she wept. Zelda could hear a sniffle somewhere, but barely paid attention to it, a film of tears blinding her as she kept her eyes on Tetra. “He won’t let me go – he’ll _never_ let me go.”

“I won’t do it,” she ground out. “Tetra, you just have to hold on, okay? Please, stay with me. Tetra. Tetra, please stay.”

But her eyes slid in and out of focus, tears still leaking from her eyes, soaking her hair. “I don’t know if I can,” she whispered. “He wants me – he just wants _me_. If we just – everyone will be safe. Just let him.”

Her eyes started to flutter closed, and Zelda scooted a little closer, a few tears slipping over the bridge of her nose. “Tetra Bosphoramus – Hyrule.” She whispered past the lump in her throat. “You cannot die on me. You made me a promise, don’t you remember? All those years ago. We’re supposed to die together – at the same time and everything. You promised. The same day. And this is not that day.”

Tetra mustered up the energy to give her another smile, her eyes finally sliding closed. “I love you, Zelda.” She murmured, and then she fell silent.

Zelda shoved herself onto her knees, eyes wide. _No –_

She looked closer, and almost collapsed in relief when she saw Tetra was still breathing, the faint rise and fall of her chest. Zelda looked over her sister, hands slowly curling into fists, and wanted to rage at the helplessness that filled her again.

It wasn’t going to end like this – Zelda would _not_ let it end like this. She wasn’t going to lose another person she loved – she refused, with all her being.

What could she _do??_

Zelda stared down at her hands, uncurling them from their tight fists, and caught a glimpse of the cut on her palm, long healed over.

And she got an idea.

“I think I know what to do,” she announced, scrambling to her feet. “Get everyone back in the circle. Give me a minute – I’ll be right back.”

Heart racing, Zelda ran out of the room, heading to the kitchen and her aunt’s liquor cabinet.

_Goddess, let this work. Please, please let this work._

-o-

Before she re-entered the sitting room, Zelda finally puts the card he gave her to good use and calls Link.

She didn’t say anything, when he answered, and for a few minutes they just sat on the line together – just breathing.

Finally, she gathered her courage. “How…how did you know it was me?”

She could almost picture the smile on Link’s face as he said, “just a hunch.”

They fell silent again, but Zelda didn’t feel like it was a _bad_ silence. It was soothing, in a way, just sitting with someone, being silent. But Zelda knew she couldn’t sit here forever.

“My sister is dying.” She whispered, stray tears slipping down her face. “I’m going to try something, but – what if it doesn’t work? Link…I can’t lose another person I love, not like this. I can’t.”

Link was still quiet as she sniffled into the line, wiping at her cheeks, but Zelda could tell that it was a thoughtful silence – that he was thinking of what to say.

“I think,” he finally said, “that if there’s anyone in the world that could beat this – it’s you, Zelda.”

It was almost the exact thing Impa had told her, all those months ago. But from Link – it rang a little different.

Zelda felt herself sit up a little straighter, clutching the bottle she grabbed from the liquor cabinet to her chest. “Link…thank you.”

“Good luck.”

-o-

Zelda had sworn to herself that she would never drink Gerudo whiskey again.

But for this case, she would make a special exception.

The liquor burned the whole way down, settling like a hot stone in her gut, and Zelda stared down at Tetra’s unconscious form with hooded eyes, reaching down to discreetly brush her fingertips against the knife tucked against her leg as Purah slowly pulled one of the brooms out of the way.

Breaking the circle.

“Groose,” she called out, taking the bottle of whiskey and holding it under Tetra’s nose. “I’ve got a drink for you – are you thirsty?”

Slowly, Tetra’s eyes fluttered open, and Zelda knew her sister wasn’t behind those eyes as she slowly sat up, a low, growling sound rumbling in her chest as she glowered at her, eyes darting from her face to the whiskey in her hand.

“Yeah,” she agreed quietly. “You’re thirsty, right? This is what you want?”

She waved the bottle around and watched Tetra’s eyes follow it, enchanted by the brown liquid swirling inside.

“It’s too bad,” Zelda said lightly, “that I’m never going to let you have it.”

Tetra’s face immediately twisted into something ugly and furious, an enraged scream bursting out of her as Groose lunged at her.

But Zelda was ready for it.

“Grab her!!”

Mipha and Urbosa had Tetra in their grasp before she could reach her, and Zelda snatched up the knife, gritting her teeth as she sliced open a line in her hand – the same spot Tetra had cut open, all those years ago. “My blood –”

She grabbed one of Tetra’s flailing hands, drawing open a line on her palm. “Your blood –”

Zelda clasped their bloody hands together and felt the magic in the air peak to a level that made her teeth rattle.

“– _our blood.”_

 _It ends with me,_ she thinks furiously. _No matter what, it ends with me._

She would not lose anyone ever again.

“Zelda’s blood is with us!” Impa cried out, “push them into the circle! Now!”

Zelda felt a hand at her back, pushing her into the circle, and she threw an arm around Tetra’s shoulders before light burst into the room, so bright and golden that it was blinding.

She could hear the chanting start up, faint, but her heart was slamming so loudly in her ears she could barely hear it. Zelda felt Tetra wrap an arm around her, fingers digging in and clutching at her cardigan, and she –

She saw her life flashing before her eyes in brilliant technicolor – every moment together with Tetra. From the day they came to live with their aunts to the days they protected each other from bullying. She was her best friend, her rock, the person Zelda knew she would always be able to lean on, no matter what.

Her Tetra. Her big sister.

The memories blurred together, faster and faster until they blended into a blinding white light and Zelda saw –

A woman.

She was unrecognizable, but somehow…familiar, with a narrow face and straw blonde hair, bangs hanging over her ocean blue eyes that were filled with tears. Zelda felt like she was staring at her – right at her – and watched as the woman gave her a wide, breathless smile, tears streaming down her cheeks.

And just like that, she was gone, a pulse of magic so strong coming between them that it forces them apart, a gust of wind tousling their hair. Zelda blinked away the spots of light clinging to her vision, becoming aware that the magic had sent everyone toppling to the floor, and they were all laughing, breathless. Feeling like she just ran a marathon, Zelda tried to catch her breath and looked at her sister – the color back in her cheeks, a light in her eyes that she hasn’t seen in weeks – and laughed wetly when Tetra gave her a smile.

The same brave, reckless smile that she’s given Zelda all these years.

“Alright, ladies! Move back!” Purah called out, and they noticed she was looking at the ceiling.

Zelda looked up and saw a vortex of dust and shadow, twisting and writing over their heads, and quickly pulled Tetra out of the circle as everyone around them waited with bated breath. As soon as they were out of the circle, the mass fell to the floor, and a scream echoed around the room before quickly falling silent.

“Ashes to ashes,” Impa said somberly. “Dust to dust.”

“Alright, ladies!” Urbosa yells out, brandishing a broom like it’s a weapon. “Let’s _clean house!”_

Zelda quickly scrambled for a broom as Lilia and Traysi ran into the kitchen to grab the potion that was brewing on the stove, and the air was filled with shrieks and cries of ‘ _get him out!!’_ as they swept the pile of dust that used to be Groose out the house, heading through the back door towards the spot where he was buried.

As soon as all the dust was gathered, Zelda dropped her broom and grabbed one handle of the pot, grinning at Tetra as she grabbed the other side

“Finally cleaned up our mess,” Tetra said cheekily, and Zelda threw her head back and laughed.

“We did!”

And with a grunt of effort, they threw the potion over Groose’s grave – banishing him for good.

The night air echoed with the force of their cheering.

-o-

Zelda leaned back on her hands and closed her eyes, soaking in the sunlight and inhaling the scent of smoke.

They finally got around to cutting down the rosebush – for _good_ , this time – and Zelda was taking a break on one of the benches in the garden while parts of the bush slowly burned. The air felt so much lighter around the house, and it wasn’t just because Groose’s spirit had finally been banished – there was more to it, too. She couldn’t put her finger on it.

But no matter – the girls were out of school for the summer, and finally taking advantage of having a garden free of hauntings, running around in the yard and climbing trees like before. Tetra was back to her bold self and has decided to stay home with them for a while, no longer feeling the itch to get away from their small town.

There was no more judgement, now, no more scorn; Zelda could comfortably say that she had…friends. Or was getting there, at least.

Things were good. Better than they had been in a long, long time.

So why was she still so antsy?

“Hey, Zel!”

She cracked an eye open at Tetra’s voice, turning her head to watch her walk barefoot up the path, an envelope in one hand and Dinraal in the other, the large ginger cat cradled in her arm.

“There’s some mail for you,” her sister sang, holding out the envelope. “From the _Gerudo province._ ”

Zelda’s heart kicked in her chest and she quickly snatched the envelope out of her hand, ignoring her sister’s snickering as she eagerly tore it open. A golden necklace tumbled out into her lap, and Zelda picked it up to hand to Tetra as she unfolded the piece of paper tucked inside.

 _“Dear Miss Hyrule,”_ Zelda read aloud, and she rolled her eyes. “They always forget Bosphoramus. _We are hereby informing you that we will be ceasing any further investigations. Our office has concluded that the cause of death of one Mister Groose was…accidental. Jewelry found in the ashes of structure provided positive identification. Sincerely, Link Forester, special investigator.”_

She checked the envelope, just to make sure there wasn’t anything else, and Zelda couldn’t help but feel unbearably disappointed that there was nothing left. And she knew she had no right to be disappointed – she was the one that called it off! It was her decision! And yet –

“Pretty sure he’s not going to be hiding in the envelope, Zel,” Tetra says, gathering the necklace in her fist and throwing it towards the fire with a grunt.

Zelda sighed loudly, rolling her eyes. “I _know_ he isn’t, don’t be ridiculous. I just –”

Zelda bites at her lip. “I’m just…unsure. Tet…what would you do?”

“What would _I_ do? You wanna ask _me?_ Ha!” Tetra threw her head back, laughing towards the sky. “What _wouldn’t_ I do to get a guy like that.”

“Oh, Tetra, don’t be a downer – there’s obviously someone out there for you, too. And besides – aren’t you…aren’t you worried about the curse?”

Tetra hummed, running her fingers through Dinraal’s fur as she thought about it. “No,” she finally answered. “I’m not. Not anymore.”

 _That_ was not the answer Zelda was expecting. “What?! Why not?!”

“Because! Didn’t you see her?”

“Who?”

“During the ritual – the woman!”

Zelda remembered, suddenly – that flash of a woman she couldn’t recognize but felt like she knew, smiling at them with tears in her eyes. “What about her?”

“What do you _mean_ , what about her??” Tetra looked at Zelda like she was a fool. “Zel, that was _Zelda. Auntie Zelda._ ”

“Oh. _Oh_.”

“Yeah, ‘ _oh’_ ,” Tetra repeated, mocking. “I think our ritual was the thing that did it.”

“Did what?”

Tetra sighed loudly, exasperated. “How are _you_ the smarter one between the two of us and yet you still don’t _get it?_ Zelda – _we broke the curse._ ”

_Oh._

Zelda suddenly felt like the rug had been pulled from under her, and it took her a moment to gather her lost footing.

The curse…was broken. Somehow, she and Tetra were able to break the curse. They…were _free_.

Free to love without having to worry about the harbinger beetle hanging over their heads. Without worrying that the next day might be the last.

_The curse was broken._

“ _Exactly,_ ” Tetra said, once it was clear that Zelda understood. “So don’t worry, Zelda. Take your time to decide – do whatever you want. You don’t have to be afraid anymore.”

She gave her one last smile before heading into the house, leaving Zelda outside for some much-needed time to think.

There was no longer a curse, to worry about. That changes things.

Ever since that phone call, Zelda has wanted so badly to see Link again – to get to know him a little more, to…to _try._ Would he be open to it? Would he turn her away, after she rejected him so?

Was she even _ready_ to try, after losing Shion?

She didn’t know. She wasn’t sure what she wanted to do, and she worried about it well into the night.

-o-

Zelda knew she was dreaming because the room looked off.

It was the room she and Tetra shared, but it was too sharp – too _bright_ , like sunlight streaming into the room but amplified. She could feel someone in the bed with her, arms wrapped around her waist, and she sighed at the warmth, at the familiarity.

“Hi, Zelda.”

That voice was so achingly familiar that tears immediately filled Zelda’s eyes, and she jostled the arm around her waist rolling over, so she could look into Shion’s warm eyes.

“Shion??” She gasped, reaching up to grasp his face. “Is it – is it you? Is it really you, truly??”

He laughed, and the sound made the tears spill down her cheeks. “It’s me,” he promised. “It’s really me. Zelda.”

He didn’t say anything else, after that – saying her name just to say it.

“I’ve missed you,” she whispered. “I’ve missed you every single day. Shion – Shion, I’m so _sorry_. You wouldn’t have died if it weren’t for me –”

“Stop.”

Shion cupped her face in his hands, and Zelda melted into the touch as he brushed his thumbs across her cheeks. “I _chose_ to love you.” He stressed, “I _chose_ that. And I don’t regret any of it. Not one single moment. I cherished every day with you, and our beautiful girls.

“But you don’t have to worry about me.” He promised, “I want you to find happiness. I want you to live a wonderful, wonderful life, and then you can tell me all about it, when we see each other again.”

Zelda was weeping outright at this point, letting go of his face to grab at his wrists. “Do you promise?” she said thickly, and Shion nodded, his eyes shining with tears.

“I promise. Live your life, Zelda. Raise our girls. Know that I still love you, even now.”

She reached out and grabbed a fistful of his shirt, and pulled Shion in to press their lips together, kissing him as though it would be the last time – because it _was_ the last time. The light in the room was increasing to the point that she could barely see anything, and Zelda knew that her stolen time had run out.

“I love you.” Zelda choked out. “Shion – I love you, too.”

He smiled at her, one last time, and then he was gone.

Zelda woke up crying, her heart full even though it ached so terribly. And despite the ache, Zelda felt certain –

She knew what she wanted to do.

-o-

_After leaving Lanayru Bay behind, and settling everything with Groose’s case, Link returned to his family home in Hateno._

_His parents were happy to have him visit, and though that was the reason he came here instead of going all the way back to Gerudo – there was another reason, too._

_He just had a feeling – a hunch. It wasn’t time for him to go just yet; he felt like he needed to stick around, just a little longer._

_Link walked around their spacious stretch of land as the sun set, and once it was fully dark, the sky littered with stars, he started a fire. Sighing heavily, he flopped onto his back, folding his arms behind his head as he looked up at the sky._

_Soon enough, his thoughts began to drift._

_He wondered how Zelda was doing._

_Link hoped that her sister was alright; she had sounded so scared, when she had called him – so much so that he almost went back. But they had agreed – being together wasn’t for the best, right now. A part of him agreed, when she told him about her spell, and he was left wondering if the pull he felt for her was because of her magic or because of_ her _._

_But after some time, and a lot of thought, he realized it couldn’t have been because of spells. Before he even knew she was magic, he liked her because of the way she smiled, and because of the crinkle that appeared between her eyebrows whenever she was annoyed. He liked her because in those few days he got to know her, Link learned that Zelda was smart, and brave, and the strongest person around, to be able to get back up after a huge loss._

_He liked her two little girls, and how bright and energetic and funny they were, and he liked the warmth in Zelda’s eyes whenever she saw them, an indulgent smile ticking at the corner of her mouth._

_Link liked Zelda for_ Zelda _– not because a spell told him to. And he wanted to get to know her better – he wanted to_ try.

_He hoped she wanted that, too._

_Something brushed at his senses then – a feeling. Something that told him he needed to look._

Open your eyes.

_Link opened his eyes._

_Something was floating down towards him, glowing faintly in the evening sky, and once it was close enough, Link reached out and plucked a silent princess out of the sky._

_And somehow, he knew – this was the sign he was looking for._

_This was her answer_

-o-

Zelda could feel it, the moment Link stepped onto the property.

It was a hum in the air, the feeling of electricity dancing across her skin – something in her whispering, _close, he’s close._

It made her nervous.

Zelda tried not to fiddle with the hem of her dress; she decided to dress nice, this time, wanting to make an impression. She _wanted_ his eyes on her, _wanted_ him to look at her and find her beautiful. She knew that he thought she was pretty in dirty gardening clothes, but – it was the principle of the thing.

She let out a nervous breath when she heard him approach and turned around once he was just a few feet away. Zelda couldn’t believe how nervous she felt – it was like she was a teenager all over again.

“Hello,” she said shyly, nervously tucking a lock of hair behind her ear. Link smiled at her, and her heart thrilled nervously at the way it made his eyes crinkle.

“Hello.”

“So…I’m guessing you got my message.”

She was momentarily fascinated at the way Link’s nose crinkled as he tried to stifle his laughter. “I did, yes.”

“Oh. Good! That’s…good!”

Zelda could feel the heat spreading across her face. She felt so _awkward_ – she just didn’t know how to tell him!

_Courage, Zelda!_

“I think I’d like to try,” she blurted out, actively resisting the urge to curl her fists into her skirt. “I…I really like you, Link. And I think – I’d like to get to know you more. And for my daughters to get to know you more. And so, if…if you still want to…then I’d be happy. To be with you.”

“So…” Link’s voice was warm, and when she peeked at him, he was smiling at her. “You want to try. You mean it.”

“…Yes.” She laughed a little as the smile on his face got wider. “I want to try.”

She could feel her family staring at them – her aunts, Tetra, her daughters. But Zelda didn’t mind it all that much, this time.

He reached out for her, and Zelda happily reached back, letting her hands slide into his. “Does that mean I can kiss you?” He asked, eyebrow quirking up teasingly, and Zelda ducked her head, another laugh bursting out of her chest. “Yes! Yes, I suppose it does. You can kiss me, Link.”

Zelda was already leaning forward, and Link was happy to meet her halfway, lips pressing clumsily together as they couldn’t stop smiling.

She couldn’t remember a time where she felt so light; happiness bubbled up and spilled over into laughter when Link wrapped his arms around her waist to spin her around, burying his face into her neck

Zelda could hear her sister crow loudly in encouragement, but there were much better things to occupy her attention, pressing Link’s jaw between her hands and leaning down to press her lips to his once more.

She already feels like she’ll never get tired of kissing him.

-o-

“Mommy, let’s _go!!_ ”

“Come on, come on, everyone’s waiting outside!!”

“Alright, alright!” Zelda pushed her flimsy witch hat further on her head, so it wouldn’t flop in her face. “Be careful running up the stairs!!”

But the girls were too excited to listen, heading towards the attic and the ladder that would lead them to the roof.

Already, Zelda could hear the murmuring of the crowd outside, the sound of cheers and laughter, and a bundle of nerves settled in her gut.

She hasn’t done anything like this in ages – what if she couldn’t remember how?

“I can hear you worrying about dumb things.”

Zelda jumped a little when Tetra slipped her hand into hers, gently jostling her with her shoulder. “You’re holding up the line, come on.”

“I’m just worried,” she said quietly as they climbed up the ladder to the roof, Impa and Purah bringing up the rear. “It’s been a while, since we’ve done this little trick – what if I don’t know how to anymore?”

“You forgetting how to do a magic trick is like you forgetting how to breathe.” Tetra rolled her eyes as she plucked her umbrella off her arm. “Totally impossible. You’ve just got a little stage fright, that’s all. Come on – don’t you wanna impress your boyfriend?”

A thrill went through Zelda at the reminder – that Link was among the crowd now, waiting to see their little seasonal show.

“Well, now that you’ve brought that up –” Zelda started blithely, and Tetra cut her off with a loud laugh.

“Alright, little witches! Get in your places!”

The air was cool against her cheeks, and Zelda heard the chatter down below get louder at their appearance. Tetra swept into a low bow as Zelda waved out into the crowd, already looking for one specific person.

He was easy to find, being in the front and all.

Link beamed up at her, eyes bright and curious, and Zelda gave him a shy little wave that he happily returned.

“Alright, girls!” Zelda called out, “come here! Adelaide, hold Auntie Tetra’s hand. Talia, come here! Are you ready? Do you have your umbrellas?”

“We’re ready!” Talia cried out, grabbing her hand and holding her umbrella aloft. “Let’s go, mommy!”

Sharing one last glance with her sister, Zelda grabbed her umbrella and held it overhead, staring down at the ground so far below her. It was quite a steep drop.

But Zelda wasn’t afraid.

Giving her daughter’s hand one last squeeze, Zelda listened to her aunts count to three, keeping her eyes on Link the entire time.

And then she leaped.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm very sleepy, so I will be fast.
> 
> all I really have to say is thank you! thanks for reading and commenting and stuff. I know it's a little niche, but hey, it's halloween time, so why not do a lil' something something for it! I hope this makes you wanna watch practical magic, 'cause it's a fun movie! super cute!
> 
> this will definitely be my last post until school is done for sure. got 50 days left until graduation so pray for me, send good vibes, all that.
> 
> now! I can rest lmao.
> 
> comments and kudos are appreciated! thank you again for reading.
> 
> until next time!


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